


The Power of Three

by AlexTheWizard101



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bad Parent Audrey Bourgeois, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Bee Chloé Bourgeois | Queen Bee, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, F/F, F/M, Miraculous Holder Chloé Bourgeois, Multi, Protective Chloé Bourgeois
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexTheWizard101/pseuds/AlexTheWizard101
Summary: Tikki and Plagg. They represent the ideas of creation and destruction respectively. But that's not all. They also represent chaos. Because of this, they needed a third to balance them out.Pollen represents the idea of order. She works to balance Tikki and Plagg. And whenever the ladybug and black cat are necessary to defeat evil, the bee is right there next to them, guiding them towards their goal.Chloé has one goal. Win her mother's attention by being exceptional. For 11 years, she's been trying and failing. So when a giant bee suggests a different solution to her problem, she takes the opportunity.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Chloé Bourgeois/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois & Pollen, Chloé Bourgeois/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 121
Kudos: 245





	1. Origins Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Miracuclass is aged up to the beginning of Lycée. They are in the 15-16 age range.

Chloé’s first day of Lycée was going to be perfect. She’d woken up before her alarm, as was normal, which would give her plenty of time to walk to school with Sabrina. It also meant she could make sure she looked immaculate. She wouldn’t, couldn’t, accept anything less than her best. She absolutely must be perfect in all ways. She must be exceptional.

Hopping out of bed, she texted Sabrina a time to meet and her plan for arriving at school. With that complete, she pulled up Spotify on her phone, filling the silence of her family's empty suite with Jagged Stone’s latest album. While her mother had made her views on Stone’s clothing style clear, she hadn’t mentioned anything about his actual music, so Chloé let herself enjoy it. 

As Stone rocked out, Chloé went about preparing her outfit for the day. Since she had decided to walk to school, she avoided white pants and shoes, just in case. She picked out a pair of high-waisted black skinny jeans, a yellow tank top with black stripes, and a black cardigan. Laying the cardigan aside, she went to her vanity to do her makeup. If she hummed along to the music or played air guitar while removing any traces of her horrid night, no one would know. 

As the next song finished, Chloé pulled her hair up into it’s usual high ponytail. As much as she wanted to try something else, it was the only hair style she had perfected in the 5 years she had with her mother, and she could never quite figure out any other style. So the ponytail stuck. For 11 years and counting.

Pausing the playlist, she slipped on the cardigan, a pair of black flats and her bag, before exiting the suite. Confirming that Sabrina was already at the hotel, Chloé was yet again reassured of the fact that she wasn’t completely alone.

Gently shaking her head, she tried focusing on happier thoughts. _‘Today is going to be perfect,’_ she told herself. _‘Sabrina is here already, and Adrien is finally going to be joining me in school. I have people who want to be with me. Right?_ ’ But try as she might, the negative thoughts were ever present. Oh well. If they wouldn’t go away, she’d just ignore them.

Exiting the elevator to the almost empty lobby, Chloé quickly identified her best friend, her ginger hair standing out against the white walls of the hotel. Sabrina had obviously been expecting her to arrive at that time, as she turned around to face Chloé.

“Chloé, over here!” She exclaimed, voice raised slightly to ensure she was heard. She quickly walked over to Chloé, planting herself directly in front of her. “Shall we start walking now, or is there anything else you needed?”

“I’m all set, so let’s go. I want to make sure our seats don’t get taken. It’s Adrien’s first day, and we need to make sure he is comfortable.” Chloé stated as she started off, Sabrina matching her pace behind her. It was only natural. Chloé was a leader, and Sabrina always followed after her. It didn’t look like a friendship. Chloé didn’t like that idea.

_‘This is how it is supposed to be,’_ she reassured herself, _‘This is how Mother does it, and she is exceptional. Thus_ must _be how I’m supposed to act if I want her back.’_

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sounds of someone falling to the ground, directly in front of a truck backing out of an alley. His cane was out of reach, and the truck wasn’t stopping. No, it was accelerating. And the old man couldn’t get out of the way. 

“Stop the truck!” Her voice cut through the air, commanding. The driver was pulled out of his stupor, slamming on the brakes and stopping just a foot from the old man. Chloé gestured to Sabrina to help the man, as she stalked up to the driver.

“Are you an idiot? This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. If you’re too tired to see an old man in your rear-view mirror, you shouldn’t be driving. You could have injured him, or even worse.” As she tore into the driver, she watched Sabrina and the old man, giving him a once over to make sure he wasn’t hurt. Sabrina’s thumbs up confirmed that he was alright, so Chloé finished her lashing and walked over to the two.

“Ridiculous. Can’t even be bothered to make sure the sidewalk is clear. You’re not injured from the fall, are you?” She questioned as she examined him more closely, ignoring his awful fashion sense. Like seriously, a Hawaiin shirt in Paris?

“I’m quite alright Miss, and thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, I surely would’ve been crushed,” he explained.

“Good,” Chloé stated simply. “If everything is alright, we’ll be on our way. Make sure you don’t fall again, I might not be there to stop any idiotic drivers.” With everything in order, she continued toward the school. Her pace was faster to make up for the lost time. Sabrina stepped in behind her, having difficulty keeping up until Chloé slowed down slightly.

* * *

The two reached the Mme. Bustier’s class just after the warning bell, and Chloé was horrified. Marinette was sitting in **her** seat, there was a new student that wasn’t Adrien, and Adrien was nowhere to be found. Chloé decided to start with the most glaring issue, putting on her best scowl.

“Just where do you think you are sitting, Dupain-Cheng? That is my seat this year, and I will not have you dirtying it.” The words tasted dirtier than the seat would be, but Chloé had to push through it in order to be exceptional. _‘Mother is exceptional, so I have to emulate her,’_ she told herself.

“Chloé, this has always been-” The girl started, before being interrupted.

“I really don’t care. Adrien is going to be here soon, and I am going to sit behind him. Now move it.” Chloé stared down at Marinette, doing her best to unnerve the girl. She was succeeding too.

“And who declared you queen of seats, huh?” The other new student shot out as Marinette was standing up. Chloé turned to face her, making a mental note to put her in her place later.

“Just forget it. It’s not worth trying to fight Chloé on this,” Marinette responded, cementing Chloé’s victory. It didn’t feel like one. It never did.

Chloé sat down in the now vacated seat, doing her best to ignore the new girl’s remarks about her being “evil.” Instead, she focused on Adrien’s empty seat. Class was starting, and there was no sign of him. Maybe today wasn’t going to be perfect.

* * *

She was right about the day not being perfect. Adrien hadn’t shown up for their first period. Exiting the classroom with Sabrina in tow, Chloé looked around the courtyard. There was no head of blond marking Adrien’s presence. She must not have done a good enough job convincing Gabriel to let Adrien do public schooling.

_‘No, Gabriel said that Adrien would be allowed to come to school. He probably just had a photoshoot that he forgot to tell you about. Right, he just forgot to mention a shoot.’_ Try as she might to fight her negativity, though, the feeling of inadequacy was ever present. Why would Gabriel allow Adrien to learn with her when she wasn’t exceptional yet? She hadn’t earned her mother’s presence yet, why would she have earned Adrien’s?

Just as she was about to enter her next class a loud crash was heard, followed by someone yelling for Kim. Ivan had probably had enough of Kim’s teasing. Then screams of panic followed. That was not something that could be caused by one person.

She entered the classroom, making her way towards the windows in order to see what was causing the panic. Outside, a hulking man made of stone was tearing up the streets, flinging cars around like they weighed nothing. He appeared to be making his way towards the school’s stadium.

Monsieur Damocles chose that time to speak out over the intercom. “Good morning students. As I'm sure you may be aware, there is currently a stone monster wreaking havoc on the city. If you are able to return home safely, I request that you do,” he explained. Chloé pulled out her phone, calling for her driver.

* * *

When Chloé returned to the suite, it was everything she expected. Empty. Silent. Lonely. Hoping to both fill the emptiness and learn more about the situation, Chloé turned the television on, turning the channel to the news. She then walked sprawled out on the couch. She was all alone, so no one could reprimand her for it. She looked towards the screen, where her father was giving a speech asking citizens to remain safe. The standard drivel people said in these situations in movies and tv shows.

Getting off the couch, she walked to her room, the monster on the television shouting for...Kim. It was shouting about Kim. She looked back towards the screen, the monster tossing cars, and her eye was drawn towards something on the coffee table in front of the couch. A black box with ornamental red lines sat dead center.

_‘Must be a gift from father,’_ she thought as she went to pick it up. Carrying it to her room, she laid it down on her vanity, sitting down in the chair in front of it. She then opened the lid. An incredibly bright light burst forth, making Chloé topple backwards over her chair as she propelled herself away from it. As the light faded, Chloé looked back up at her vanity and saw...a giant bee.

“What the fuck?” She cried out, scrambling away from the creature. It opened its eyes, revealing golden irides and blue sclera. Unnatural. Magical. And a little creepy.

“Greeting, my queen,” the thing spoke. It fucking spoke. “I am Pollen, the kwami of order. You have been chosen as the wielder of the Bee miraculous, in order to defend Paris.”

Chloé was speechless. She looked back out towards the tv, where a helicopter camera showed the monster entering her Lycée’s stadium. Pollen floated next to her.

“That’s right, my queen. That is an akuma. Using the miraculous in the box you opened, you can transform. You’ll be granted magical powers to allow you to defeat it. The akuma will be holding an object that you and your teammates need to destroy,” it explained, looking at Chloé expectantly.

“You-you’re asking me to be a superhero?” Pollen nodded its head. “This can’t be right. I’m not superhero material.” _‘I can’t be a superhero, heroes are exceptional.’_

Pollen sighed at that. “You are, and I’ll explain that later. But right now, you need to put on the necklace in the box, and say ‘Buzz On.’ That will cause you to transform. Now! Your teammates will need a leader.” With the command, Chloé stiffly walked back over to the necklace. 

Slipping it around her neck, she listened to Pollen explain the more intricate details. A superpower called ‘Subject,’ the Miraculous Cure. How Chloé was meant to be the leader. How her identity must remain secret. When Pollen finished, she repeated everything back, and called for her transformation.

Pollen flew into the necklace as magic raced out, covering her body in yellow light, then solidifying. The feeling was exhilarating. When Chloé sensed that the transformation was complete, she looked into the mirror on her vanity.

She looked...really nice. She was in a yellow and black supersuit. Her arms and legs were dominantly black, will traces of golden glitter. Probably to mimic pollen. Her torso was mostly yellow, with thin black stripes, and an intricately detailed rapier attached to her hip. Covering her face was a domino mask, yellow towards the outside and black along the inside. Her eyes were like Pollen’s, blue sclera and golden irides. Her hair was done into a perfect half-up crown braid, one of the hairstyles she wanted to learn but could never do properly. There were black strands interspersed with her natural blond hair, and the waves she straightened out had returned. Finally, sprouting from her like a cape, was a set of bee wings.

“Do those work?” She asked aloud. Concentrating, she felt the wings move, pushing her up and forward slightly. Looking back toward the tv, she saw the monster start walking into the stadium. With a burst of confidence, Chloé strode over to her balcony. That confidence quickly faded when she looked over the edge. If she didn’t get this perfect, she’d be just a stain on the ground. She’d never get the chance to be exceptional.

_‘No, you can do this. You have to. You have a team that needs you,’_ she thought. With that thought, she concentrated on the feeling that occurred when she first tested her wings, and leapt off the side.

* * *

Flying came natural to her, probably due to the miraculous, but it excited Chloé. She was finally good at something. She flew out over the buildings, on the lookout for her teammates while making her way to the stadium. She caught sight of them when a girl with a red bodysuit and black spots fell past her, colliding with a boy in black leather. The yoyo trailing behind tangled the two up, hanging from the boy’s baton. As Chloé flew down to them, the baton slipped, causing the people and weapons to land in a heap on the ground.

Landing softly on the ground, she watched as the two tried, and failed, to get themselves up. 

“Excuse me,” she said, drawing the attention of the two superpowered individuals. She didn’t know what to say. Why didn’t she think of that before opening her mouth? _‘Alright, Chloé, you can do this. You managed to fly, you can lead them.’_ Sighing, she grabbed the yoyo, intending to get out the knot, but instead watched as the string rectracted on its own, allowing her teammates to untangle their limbs. “We have an akuma to defeat. Which means we need to get to the stadium.”

Tossing the girl her yoyo, she continued her flight to the stadium. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her teammates following behind her, the girl swinging like Spiderman, and the boy leaping along buildings. She smiled slightly. They were following after her. She took the shortest path to the stadium, which was easy when flying over the buildings.

As she looked over the stadium, she saw Kim trip over air, and the monster running over to him. Of course the athlete chose that moment to pull a Marinette. She raced down to him, picking him up and tossing him away from the monster. The boy in black landed in between them right after.

“I think it’s time you pick on someone your own size,” he quipped. Which made no sense because the monster dwarfed him. Something the monster picked up on.

“Like you?” He responded, dashing forward and grabbing the boy, who winced in pain. Chloé noticed the wince, and that was unacceptable. Her teammate was in pain. She could not allow that to continue.

“Let go of him!” she cried, wings flapping behind her as she flew up to eye level with the monster. The monster looked thoughtful for a second, then seemingly smirked.

“If you want him, then you can have him!” he yelled, chucking the boy directly at her. Chloé had made a mistake, she was too close. She couldn’t react in time, and the two were sent through the football net across the field, slamming into the wall behind it. Chloé stood up, making sure her wings weren’t damaged, then looked back towards the monster. 

The monster had picked up the other net, and sent it flying towards them. The boy next to her was still having difficulty breathing from being crushed, and yet again, Chloé couldn’t react fast enough. She had made yet another mistake, not focusing on what mattered. So she threw herself in front of the boy, closed her eyes, and waited for an impact.

A whirring sound cut through the air, followed by a crash as the net hit the seats behind the pair. Opening her eyes, she could see the spotted girl hopping down, her yoyo retracting from around the net. Someone else had to fix Chloé’s mistake.

“Sorry I’m late, I had to figure out how to use the yoyo,” the girl apologized, frowning. “We need a plan to defeat that thing, before it causes any more damage.”

Chloé thought about what Pollen had explained. “It’s going to be in possession of an object that we need to destroy,” she reminded her teammates. Thinking over what she had seen, she noticed something. “We need to make it open it’s right hand. What can your powers do?”

The girl went first. “I create something random that is supposed to help defeat the akuma. Oh, and call me...Ladybug. With the ladybug earrings it...yeah,” she stated, enthusiasm petering out as she talked. 

“And I’m Chat Noir. I destroy things,” he responded with a smile on his face. Ladybug muttered something about not needing a superpower to destroy things, but Chloé ignored that.

“Alright. Ladybug, use your power, and I’ll figure out what we need to do,” Chloé commanded, falling into her role as leader. Ladybug called for her ‘Lucky Charm,’ and into her hands fell a wetsuit. Looking around for a way to make use of the suit, Chloé spotted a hose. She quickly explained her plan to the two, and they went their different ways.

The plan was simple enough. Chloé went off first, flying around the monster until it grabbed her, squeezing hard. It hurt, but she could handle it. Then Ladybug ran up, and the monster wasn’t keen on being annoyed again. He grabbed her with his right hand, and dropped a rock in the shape of a ball.

“Chat! Now!” Chloé called out, prompting him to turn the handle on the hose. The wetsuit filled up, surprising the monster and causing him to drop Ladybug, who stomped on the rock, cracking it into multiple pieces.

A butterfly flew out of the biggest piece, and the rock dissolved into a piece of paper. The rocks holding the monster fell apart, dropping Chloé and...Ivan. Ladybug read the paper, and talked quietly with Ivan.

Thinking back to class that day, and how Ivan was about to assault Kim, she was probably right about Kim taking the teasing too far. Sneaking a peek at the paper, she caught the words ‘Mylene,’ ‘love,’ and ‘wuss.’ Kim had definitely pushed Ivan past his limits.

When Ladybug’s earrings beeped, she was pulled away from her thinking. Ladybug jumped at the sound, quickly stammering out an excuse to leave, before zipping off. Chloé was dumbfounded. She had forgotten to mention the cure. Why couldn’t she stop making mistakes?

“Wait! We need to-”

“Well, if she’s going, I guess it’s time for me to go too, leader. See you around,” Chat interrupted. This couldn’t be happening. They needed to cast the cure, and she couldn’t do it alone. Choosing her to be a hero had been a-

“Incredible! That was totally wicked!” The Césaire girl ran up to Chloé, phone obviously recording. “This is Alya Césaire, on the site where a supervillain has just been defeated, by Paris’ own superheroes! What are the three of you called?”

Chloé was perturbed at having a camera shoved into her face, and she could hardly be called a hero. If she couldn’t control her team, how could she be a hero? _‘Stop, now isn’t the time for that. You need a name. How about...’_

“I’m Queen Bee, and my teammates are Ladybug and Chat Noir. Which one is which should be obvious,” she supplied in answer. She did her best to put on a happy face, but it was hard to do when the only thing she could think about was all the mistakes that she had made. All things that gave reason why she wasn’t exceptional. Why her mother didn’t love her. Why- “I’m afraid I have to go,” she said to interrupt her thought process, flying off and leaving Césaire yelling out questions that she ignored.

* * *

Chloé flew back to the hotel, making sure that no one was watching as she landed on the balcony and slipped into her room. Pollen had never explained how to remove the transformation, so she took one last look in the mirror, savoring her perfect hair, and pulled the necklace off. The magic faded, returning her hair to it’s usual ponytail, and her clothes to her outfit for the day.

“You made a mistake, choosing me. I’m not good enough to be a superhero,” she murmured, looking at Pollen in the mirror. She turned to face Pollen head on, stomach churning at the frown on their face. Pollen looked at the miraculous in her hand, then looked up at Chloé.

“Yes you are, my queen,” she reassured, floating up to eye level. “You did wonderfully out there. You were able to come up with a plan to deal with the akuma. You protected your teammate, who was clearly hurt. Even before you came into contact with the akuma, you were there to help them,” Chloé looked away, only thinking of everything she had failed.

“I made mistakes. I was too close to properly catch Chat. I was unfocused. I couldn’t keep them around to cast the cure!” she said in response, voice getting louder, more agitated as she was voiced **exactly** why her mother wasn’t around. “Mistakes are unexceptional, so someone who makes them can’t be exceptional. I’m not good enough to be a superhero,” she repeated. Pollen looked thoughtful at her arguments. What was there to think about? Superheroes don’t get to make mistakes, and she had made plenty.

“There isn’t any way for mistakes to be ‘unexceptional,’ as you say that they are,” Pollen stated. Chloé looked incredulous at this, so Pollen continued. “In order to be ‘exceptional,’ something has to be good, so to be ‘unexceptional means something has to be bad.” Chloé nodded at this. “Well, mistakes are neither good nor bad. They’re opportunities to improve yourself. So to me, it’s what you do when you make a mistake that determines how ‘exceptional’ you are.”

Chloé thought about what Pollen said. It made...some sense. Okay. Mistakes weren’t unexceptional. But that didn’t change the fact that **Chloé** was. “Fine. The mistakes I made aren’t unexceptional. But **I** am. If I were exceptional, then my mother would be here. And yet no matter how much I do to act like her, to be exceptional like she is, she remains in New York.”

Pollen was stunned by this. She was probably coming to terms with how badly she had chosen. Obviously, given how much fury Pollen packed into her tiny face. “Alright, then we will make you exceptional. We’ll make you the best you possible. Which means you need to stop mimicking your mother.”

Chloé was taken aback by this. _‘What? But, Mother is exceptional. I_ **_should_ ** _be acting like her if I want to be exceptional. Right?’_ She just couldn’t wrap her head around the idea.

“My queen?” Pollen looked worried. How long had she been thinking? Too long. Another mistake to add to the-

_‘No. Pollen covered this. Mistakes aren’t bad,’_ she criticised herself, shaking her head to stop the thought. She heard Pollen mutter something to herself, and faced the kwami again.

“May I ask you some things, my queen?” Pollen asked gently.

“You don’t need to get permission to ask me things, Pollen,” Chloé responded. Pollen smiled gently at that. 

“Your favorite subject is math, correct?” Chloé nodded again. It was easy to double check her math, making sure that her work was exceptional, that there weren’t any mistakes. “And when given a problem, there are often multiple ways of reaching a solution, correct?” Chloé thought for a second, before nodding again. “Well, then try thinking of your situation this way. The problem is you are ‘unexceptional.’ The solution is to become ‘exceptional. You’ve tried one method of reaching a solution, mimicking your mother. This solution isn’t working. So, try a different method. And please, let me be there to help you through it.”

Considering Pollen’s advice, Chloé reached a similar conclusion. Once again looking down at the necklace in her hand, she moved to put it back around her neck. Pollen smiled radiantly, and the sight of the smile brought a small one to Chloé’s lips as well.

“Alright,” Pollen said plainly, “is there anywhere I can get food? Transforming takes a lot of energy.” Chloé’s eyes widened, she hadn’t considered that Pollen would need food. But she is a living creature, so it made sense.

“I can order anything you might like, Pollen. What would you like?” She asked the question as they exited her room, where the tv was still on, currently playing commercials. Chloé picked up the remote, muting the television, before walking to call room service.

“While I can technically eat anything, I do prefer sweets. Especially honey. Tea with honey has been a staple with past wielders,” Pollen responded. Chloé phoned the order in, as well as dinner for herself. As she turned back to Pollen to tell her that the food was on the way, she saw a horrified expression on her face. Turning back to the television, she saw the akuma on screen. Then the picture changed to...another one. More pictures, all with the akuma flashed through the screen.

“What’s going on, Pollen?” She quickly questioned, panicking. “Is this because we didn’t cast the cure?” Her mistake had led to this. Because she didn’t properly explain everything people were-

“My queen!” Pollen’s voice rang out, managing to cut through Chloé’s tumultuous thoughts. “This is not your fault, my queen. This is because of us kwami. I never mentioned that one of your partners needed to catch the butterfly. And apparently, neither did Tikki and Plagg. So this,” she explained, pointing at the screen, “is not your fault. Your mistakes did not cause this.”

With more reassurances from Pollen that everything would be alright and that this could be fixed, Chloé managed to calm down.

“Okay, so if this isn’t my fault, then what is happening?” Chloé finally managed to ask.

Pollen sighed, cursing Tikki and Plagg under her breath. “For that I’ll go more in depth on your teammates’ kwamis. Tikki and Plagg are the kwami of creation and destruction respectively. They balance each other out in that regard. However, they are also kwami of chaos, as creation and destruction are chaotic. That’s why I’m with them, bringing order to that chaos. You with me so far?” Chloé nodded at the question, so Pollen continued. “Because of their shared aspect, they both have the ability to absorb chaotic energy. The butterflies, called akuma, are being corrupted with chaotic energy by the butterfly’s wielder. And if left uncaptured, it can duplicate, spreading that chaos to more individuals, resulting in what you saw on the television. That’s why one of your teammates needs to catch the butterfly.”

At the end of the explanation, there was a knock on the suite door, signalling that Jean had finally arrived with their food. Pollen darted behind the couch as Chloé got up to get the food. 

As she opened the door, allowing Jean to enter the room. He entered, walking over to the kitchen island, setting the tray down. He turned to her, a worried look clearly across his face. Chloé knew exactly why.

“I’ll be fine tonight, Jean. I appreciate your concern, really, but it isn’t necessary,” she stated. He nodded, making his way to the door, before stopping briefly.

“Have a nice night, mademoiselle. Please make sure you stay safe,” he requested.

“You too, Jean. And thanks.” Jean left the suite after that, and Chloé waited a few seconds before calling out to Pollen.

“It’s alright to come out now, Pollen,” she said as she picked up the tray, carrying it over the coffee table. It was just her and Pollen, so she could watch tv while eating.

* * *

Chloé finished off the day as usual, but instead of silence filling the room, it was filled with chatter between her and Pollen. It was...it was really nice, having someone there. Nice not feeling alone.

“Hey, Pollen, do kwami need to sleep?” She asked as she slipped under the covers of her bed.

“We do, my queen,” Pollen responded, muttering a small dig at Plagg about his sleeping habits, and how it was absolute chaos. Which is to be expected, being a kwami of chaos.

With the knowledge in mind, Chloé patted the pillow next to hers, inviting Pollen to sleep on it. Pollen smiled at the gesture, resting on the pillow.

Chloé reached over to the lamp on her nightstand, switching it off. 

“Goodnight, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen.”

For once she did, falling asleep to the sound of Pollen’s snores.

For once she wasn’t the only one in the suite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing something like this, so any constructive criticism is appreciated.
> 
> There are kwami changes. Pollen resides in the top-tier of the Miracle Box, alongside Tikki and Plagg. Instead of subjection, Pollen represents order, balancing out the chaotic elements of Tikki and Plagg. This leaves only four kwami for the middle-tier. Because of this, the middle tier represents the four classical elements instead of the Wuxing. I'm not sure yet how important that aspect will be, but it is there.  
> Trixx = Air  
> Wayzz = Earth  
> Nooroo = Water  
> Duusu = Fire  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. :)


	2. Origins Part 2

When Chloé woke up for the second day of school, it was once again before her alarm went off. What was different was that she **had** slept well. She slipped out of bed and unplugged the clock, making sure she didn’t disturb Pollen. Reaching into her nightstand, she pulled out her earbuds, putting them in to listen to music.

Padding over to her closet, she considered what to wear for the day. Today she felt...brighter, so she pulled on a yellow dress, as well as a pair of brown jeans. Next, she walked over to her vanity. The dark circles under her eyes that she usually covered up were less noticeable. Probably because she wasn’t constantly waking up last night. It meant she didn’t have to cake on her makeup. It meant one less flaw that made her unexceptional. 

She then moved to do her hair. After brushing out her hair, which had some of the wave again, she reached for a scrunchie.

“You should leave it down, my queen, it looks good.” Pollen’s voice rang out over the music playing in her ears, causing her to jump slightly. Looking in the mirror, she saw Pollen floating behind her, smiling.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Chloé questioned, worried. She had wanted to let Pollen sleep, just in case she was still tired from transforming. Why did she have to be so lo-

“You didn’t wake me at all, my queen. I woke up on my own,” Pollen replied, cutting Chloé’s thought short. That was good, she hadn’t made another mistake. She pulled out her earbuds, pausing the music while doing so.

“Do you want anything to eat? I can call it so that it gets here before we have to go.” While she didn’t normally eat breakfast, she was feeling better today. It would be nice to start the day off right. “I’m thinking of getting some fruit, you want tea and honey again?”

Pollen nodded, floating behind Chloé as she went to ring the food up. Looking back at her, she patted her shoulder. Pollen’s face lit up again, like it did when Chloé had agreed to keep wielding the miraculous, flying over and landing on the crook of her neck. Chloé was happy she could make Pollen smile like that again.

After calling for the food, Chloé received a message from Sabrina. She would be dropped off at school by Roger today, in order to make sure she stayed safe. It made sense. But it meant that Chloé would be alone in the limousine. No one would be there to fill the silence. Nothing to fill the emptiness.

A paw pressing against her neck drove her from her thoughts. Looking down, she saw Pollen, a concerned look on her face. _‘That’s right. I’ll have Pollen with me.’_ A small smile crossed her face at the reassurance that she wouldn’t be alone.

Knocking at the door pulled their attention. Pollen dove into Chloé’s hair as she went to let Jean in. He entered as usual, setting the tray upon the kitchen island. As he turned, he was smiling. The look clearly showed he could read Chloé like a book.

“I’m glad you slept well, mademoiselle. And your hair looks lovely like that. You should wear it down more often,” he said. Chloé smiled at the compliment.

“Thank you, Jean. Did you sleep well, too?”

Jean nodded, making his way to the door. Just shy of exiting, he looked over his shoulder. “Please make sure you stay safe today, Chloé. There are more monsters out there, and people still haven’t figured out what’s going on. And bring an umbrella, the forecast is calling for rain.” With that said, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Pollen flew back out of Chloé’s hair, landing next to the tea. Chloé joined her at the tray, picking up her bowl of fruit and the fork provided. The fruit was sweet, and something she hadn’t had in a while. It had been a long time since she felt up to eating breakfast. A long time since she last slept well.

When the fruit was finished, she set the bowl back on the tray, and walked into her room to get her school bag and finish getting ready. Pollen joined her, nestling into her neck again. Deeming herself acceptable to be seen, she put on a pair of brown flats, called for a car, grabbed an umbrella, and left her room. Pollen flew back into her hair, keeping close to her neck. She stayed there for the entirety of the car ride, reassuring Chloé that she was there.

* * *

As Chloé entered the courtyard, she saw a large cluster of students. The entirety of her class, and a few students from other classes, were huddled around Ivan.

“You were totally out for me, man,” Kim shot out.

“What was it like? Do you remember what you were doing?” Questioned Césaire.

Others tacked on their comments and questions. It was clear that Ivan was getting overwhelmed, and he shot off of the bench, storming towards the locker room. Everyone that was around him was stunned for a second, a few looking guilty. Only one person followed him.

She couldn’t resist the habit of making snide remark, as much as she wanted to. Clapping slowly, she drew their attention. “Real smart. Harass the guy that got turned into a monster yesterday,” she sneered. More people in the group started looking guilty, which she expected. What she didn’t expect was Césaire stepping toward her, a scowl on her face.

“You’re the real monster,” she shot out, before storming off. Chloé was taken aback. _‘How could I be a monster? This is how Mother acts, and she’s exceptional. She can’t possibly be a monster. Alya has to be wrong,’_ she thought to herself. Looking around the crowd, she saw the uncomfortable look across many people’s faces. She didn’t like how they looked at her.

“Do you need something? Shoo!” she yelled, causing the crowd to disperse. Scanning the people remaining in the courtyard, she noticed that Sabrina’s ginger hair was missing. _‘She’s probably in the classroom,’_ Chloé reasoned.

Fast footsteps coming from behind pulled her attention. Turning her head, she caught sight of blond hair and green eyes. Chloé beamed at the sight.

“Adrien!” she called, running up and pulling him into a hug. He was here. She was still good enough to have Adrien join her in school. Gabriel hadn’t gone back on his word.

Three taps on her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts, prompting her to let go of him. Stepping back, she looked him in his eyes.

“You look nice today, Chloé. You should wear your hair down more often,” Adrien complimented. Chloé flushed, but Adrien didn’t seem to notice. “You mind showing me to the classroom?” At the question she nodded, turning to lead him.

“Are you ready for your first day of school?” she asked, walking towards the classroom. He stepped in next to her, gracing her with a smile.

“Yeah. Had to outrun my bodyguard near the end of my walk here, but I’m ready,” he stated simply.

Wait. Outrun his bodyguard? So, Gabriel didn’t want him here. She hadn’t earned his presence. She wasn’t good enou-

Her thinking was cut off by someone hugging her. She sank into the hug, knowing who’s arms they were. “It’s alright, Chloé. **I** want to be here,” Adrien said as he pulled back. Chloé looked away, cheeks flushing harder.

“Right. Let’s get to class,” she murmured lamely. Taking the lead, she picked up the pace, ensuring Adrien couldn’t see her blushing. It also meant she could scare away any fangirls that would overwhelm him.

Entering the classroom, she noted that Sabrina was in her seat, like she suspected. Ivan was missing. Marinette was too, probably trying to comfort him.

Guiding Adrien to his seat, she quickly regarded his deskmate. Nino was...alright. He was protective of his friends, and he had decent music choices. Better than Adrien’s, at least.

“This is your seat, Adrien. I made sure it was near the door, just in case,” she remarked before sitting down behind him.

Nino leaned over to Adrien, glancing back at Chloé, which she noticed. “So, you’re a friend of Chloé’s?” he whispered. She attempted to ignore the contempt in Nino’s comment. Instead, she turned to Sabrina.

“How’s Roger?” she asked. Sabrina frowned at the question.

“Stubborn, like always. His arm is broken, yet he still went to work,” Sabrina complained. “What about your dad, Chloé?”

It was Chloé’s turn to frown. “Stuck at work, like always. Except now he actually has an excuse,” she murmured, trying to keep the conversation from being overheard. Apparently she hadn’t succeeded, as Adrien flinched, and Nino shot her a concerned look. Why, she didn’t know.

Marinette entered the room while she was considering possibilities. She glared at Chloé, before moving to sit down next to Alya. They started talking, and Alya looked back. The word ‘witch’ made its way to Chloé, but she ignored it. Or at least, tried to.

At the front of the room, Mme. Bustier called for attention, before starting the role call.

“Agreste, Adrien,” she called first. Adrien looked confused, until Nino leaned over. Then, he shot out of his chair, hand raised, and yelled ‘present.’ This sent a wave of laughter through the classroom.

“Right. Bourgeois, Chloé,” was called next. Chloé said her piece, to which Mme. Bustier nodded.

“Bruel, Ivan.”

The door to the room rocketed past Mme. Bustier, causing her to jump back into her desk. Everyone looked at the entrance to the classroom, and there stood the monster from the day before.

“Present! And the name is Stoneheart!” he yelled, making his way into the classroom. People fled away from him as he made his way through the desks, and grabbed Mylène.

“Ivan! Why are you doing this?” she shrieked in terror, struggling to escape Stoneheart’s grasp.

“So that I can properly tell you how I feel, Mylène,” Stoneheart said, making his way to the windows. He kicked a hole into the wall, before jumping down to the streets below.

Chloé looked around the room. Everyone had left, scared away by Stoneheart. She felt Pollen fly out of her hair. Looking at her, and then the hole, she knew what she had to do. It was time to fix her mistake.

“Pollen, buzz on,” she called. Pollen disappeared into her necklace, and she once again felt magic slide along her. It was just as exhilarating as the first transformation. 

* * *

Queen Bee flew over the streets of Paris, following the sounds of chaos caused by Stoneheart. As she flew around though, she saw that he wasn’t alone. The civilians that had been turned into duplicates were causing havoc across the city. A couple times, Queen Bee had to rescue fleeing innocents, pulling them away from the duplicates. Because of this, she lost the first Stoneheart.

Scouring the streets in search of the original, she caught sight of the Césaire girl, biking...into the chaos. Is this girl insane? She held her phone in hand, likely recording everything.

Queen Bee’s heart dropped when a duplicate noticed her as well, picking up a car. When it threw the car and pinned the girl to the wall, her heart sank even lower. She then heard a whirring. Ladybug’s yoyo.

“Ladybug!” she called out, drawing her attention. She pointed to the front of the car. “You push the front!” she commanded, flying towards the back of the car.

Together, the two were able to push the car back onto its wheels with ease, freeing Césaire.

“Are you insane?” Queen Bee questioned. “You need to be moving **away** from the carnage, not into it. We need to focus on defeating supervillains, not saving the lives of adrenaline junkies.” She scolded before flying off in search of the original again. Lifting higher, she spotted police cars in front of one of the bridges to the Eiffel Tower. She sped off to check it out.

Landing on the bridge, she saw Stoneheart, Mylène in hand, climbing up one of the legs of the tower. Next to her, she heard two people touch down. Behind her, she heard the policemen...chamber rounds.

Spinning around swiftly, she cried out, “Stop! Do not shoot, he has a hostage!” Some of the policemen obeyed, others looking towards Roger, who brought a loudspeaker to his mouth.

“You’ve already failed this city once,” he spoke. “Now get off the bridge.”

The three superpowered individuals reacted differently. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked down in shame, no doubt both taking the blame for the duplicates. Queen Bee, however, stepped forward. Pollen’s words were ringing in her head. ‘This is not your fault, my queen.’

“In case you’ve forgotten, Roger, your first day on the job didn’t go too well either.” Roger blanched at the reminder, which brought an unnoticeable smirk to Queen Bee’s face. “We were working with incomplete information. Now that we have full knowledge of what is necessary, we will be amending that failure. It’s not our fault. Now, all of you put your guns down! That girl up there is already in enough distress, she doesn’t need the threat of being shot tacked on.”

The rest of the men lowered their weapons while Roger spluttered. Turning to her teammates, she recognized gratefulness on their faces. She was about to address them when Stoneheart started making a choking sound. Everyone looked at him, and a cloud of butterflies spewed out of his mouth. They settled into a rough estimate of a face, one which started speaking.

“Queen Bee, Chat Noir, Ladybug. I am Hawkmoth. Hand your miraculouses over to me. You’ve done enough damage to the people of Paris.”

It was Ladybug’s turn to get pissed, it seemed, as she stepped toward the cloud of butterflies.

“I think you’re switching the roles around, Hawkmoth! We didn’t create Stoneheart, you did! It was your akuma that corrupted all these innocent civilians. So, no matter how long it takes, we will find you, and we will take your miraculous back! Good **will** triumph over evil!” Concluding her speech, Ladybug launched herself forward and up, swinging her yoyo through the cloud as Hawkmoth laughed, the sound becoming more and more distorted. When every butterfly was accounted for she opened up her yoyo, releasing a torrent of white butterflies, and looked at Queen Bee expectantly. She couldn’t fail a second time. She was saving this city with her team. And she was going to let Paris know that.

Queen Bee took to the air, turning to the civilians watching them.

“People of Paris, we are the defenders of Paris, and from this day forth, we will be protecting you from Hawkmoth and his forces. We will keep you safe, and I swear this to all of you, Hawkmoth will fall.” Looking at Chat and tilting her head towards the tower, where Stoneheart had resumed his climb. The two met up with Ladybug at the base of the tower.

“Alright. Stoneheart has a hostage, in the same hand that he is likely holding the akuma. We need him to let go without hurting her. Ideas?” Queen Bee asked, looking at her teammates.

Ladybug spoke up first. “Stoneheart was akumatized because of a failed confession. He’s in love with the hostage, but has no idea how to properly tell her. I say we play matchmaker and get them to kiss. You know, like little girls do with their dolls. ‘Now kiss,’” Ladybug suggested, miming pushing two dolls together.

Queen Bee gave her a blank stare, saying flatly, “I see the logic behind who got what miraculous now.” She ignored the sound of indignation that Ladybug voiced, instead focusing on planning and watching Stoneheart. A purple outline covered his face briefly, and his jaw moved, but she couldn’t hear what was being said.

“Okay. Ladybug, you need to wrap them up with your yoyo. Then, pull them together. Hopefully, the surprise will cause Stoneheart to drop the girl. Chat, you need to get the akuma if he drops it, I’ll get the girl. We’ll go from there.” A plan in place, the trio split up, Ladybug climbing around the back while Chat joined Queen Bee scaled the front.

Stoneheart was just reaching the observation deck when Queen Bee caught up to him. The outline was back, but this time she could all hear what was said. She caught Ladybug’s attention, signaling her to start the plan as Stoneheart spoke.

“You’ll get your jewelry, Hawkmoth. But first I need to figure out how to confess,” he argued, as if the object of his affection wasn’t right there. Good. He hadn’t noticed the yoyo wrapped around him.

“I think I can help you with that!” Ladybug yelled out, before pulling hard on the yoyo. Mylène was pulled towards Stoneheart’s jaw, until her lips pressed lightly against it. 

Stoneheart reeled back from the kiss, releasing Mylène and the akuma. Queen Bee dove for Mylène, who was once again shrieking in terror. Chat managed to snag the akuma from the air, crushing it in his palm and pocketing the butterfly with his claws. All according to plan.

What didn’t go according to plan was Stoneheart dissolving back into Ivan in midair. He started screaming too.

“Ladybug! Snag him!” She yelled up to her. Ladybug seemed to get the message, her yoyo flying out and wrapping around Ivan. His fall slowed down to a stop, dangling in midair.

Depositing the no longer screaming Mylène on the ground, she flew back up to carry Ivan down. She set him down next to Mylène, flanked by her teammates. Chat Noir took the letter that once housed the akuma and handed it to Mylène.

“I think you should read this. After all, it is written for you. Right, Ivan?” Chat grinned at Ivan, who nodded.

The trio gave them some distance, but kept watch. When Mylène hugged Ivan, Ladybug hopped in place and giggled, saying something about her ‘ship sailing.’ It was cute, the performance making her heart flutter. But as much as Queen Bee wanted to listen to it, it was time to fix her mistake, like Pollen said.

“Alright, we need to cast the cure now. Did your kwami fill you in this time?” she questioned. Ladybug and Chat Noir both nodded, each putting a hand on her shoulder. 

In unison, the three shouted, “Miraculous Cure.” At the words, a cascade of yellow, red, and black flew across the city. Creation and destruction fed off of each other, while order gave the two direction, purpose.

When they felt the magic finish setting everything right, the two let go of her shoulders. She flew up, seeing cars back in place, rubble missing from the streets. All the damage from Stoneheart was reversed, it seemed. Landing back down, she addressed the two. 

“The city is back to normal. Good job today,” she said, “And Chat, the butterfly is still in your pocket.”

Chat jumped at the reminder. “Oh, right.” He opened up his pocket and a pure white butterfly climbed out, fluttering off. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.”

Now that she wasn’t pressed for time saving the city, Queen Bee allowed herself to properly examine her teammates discreetly.

Chat Noir was cat themed. His suit was all black except for the claws and baton, which were silver colored. His eyes were inhuman, with emerald green pupils and yellow-green sclera. At his hips there were two slits. Pockets. Now **that’s** something to be jealous about. On top of his head rested...cat ears. And around his waist he had a belt that became a tail. A tail that was somehow standing up.

Ladybug was, well, ladybug themed. She was wearing a bodysuit as well. The arms and legs were back, the torso was red up to her neck, where it was once again black. Along her torso were seven black spots. The yoyo she used was hanging from her waist. Further up, her mask was black, with two white spots above her eyes. Her hair was pulled into two pigtails, held by ribbons that stood up, like antennae.

Queen Bee’s examinations hadn’t been as discreet as she hoped.

“Like what you see, Queenie?” chirped Ladybug, striking a pose. Queen Bee flushed fiercely, both at the nickname and the pose. Ladybug noticed, giggling at the reaction. This made Queen Bee redder.

“W-well, I-I have to go. We’re done here f-for today,” she stammered, flying off towards the hotel. There, she got tea for Pollen to go, and rode back to the school.

* * *

When Chloé got back to the classroom, the last thing she expected was to see Marinette in her seat. She stalked up to her, prepared to tell her off, but Marinette’s words got out faster.

“This was my seat first, Chloé, and I’m not going to let you take it from me. It’s like Majestia always says. ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.’”

To the others in the class it was innocent enough, but Chloé understood the meaning behind the words. She was at a loss for words. She wasn’t supposed to be at a loss for words, she was supposed to fight back, like her mother did. But nothing came to her. So she fled. It was unexceptional.

Her mind was racing as she made her way to the locker room, which she figured would be empty right about now. She’d just been called evil. And after bearing witness firsthand to Ladybug’s words to Hawkmoth, it meant a lot. She was on the same level as Hawkmoth, someone who destroyed Paris, put people’s lives in danger. Why? Was it because of how she acted? But she had to act like that. She needed to be exceptional. The best way to do that was to emulate her mother. And her mother couldn’t possibly be evil.

When she entered the locker room Pollen flew out of her hair and into view. Her mouth was moving, but Chloé couldn’t hear the words. Her thoughts were too loud, trying to rationalize, explaining to herself why her mother wasn’t evil.

She didn’t notice the locker room opening, didn’t notice Pollen diving back into her hair. She did notice when a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her. Leaning into the embrace, her thoughts finally went silent, called by Adrien’s presence. She didn’t deserve him, and yet here he was. Comforting her.

Adrien pulled away when she managed to get her breathing under control. “Do you want to go back to class?” Chloé shook her head. “Do you want me to stay?” Chloé shook her head again. She needed to talk to Pollen. She knew she wouldn’t be alone. “Alright. I’ll head back and tell Mme. Bustier where you are. If you need me, text me. Alright?” Chloé nodded. Adrien stood up and left the locker room, heading back to class, and leaving Chloé with Pollen.

When he left, Pollen slipped back out of her hair.

“Are you alright, my queen? You weren’t responding to me earlier,” she mentioned. It wasn’t too hard to know the answer. But Chloé couldn’t admit it. She needed to be exceptional.

“I’m fine, Pollen.” She wasn’t.

Pollen gave her an incredulous look, then sighed. “Do you think you can explain why that happened, my queen? It might help, and we can come up with ideas to fix their opinion of you.”

Chloé thought for a moment, before nodding. “Ladybug said something similar. ‘Good will triumph over evil.’ Being called evil, being compared to Hawkmoth. It...Marinette can’t possibly be right.” she explained. “Being evil would be unexceptional, which would mean that my mother is unexceptional, since I’m following in her footsteps. And she can’t possibly be unexceptional.”

Pollen thought for a second, a paw on her chin, before speaking. “We can start working on their opinion of you. We can prove to them that you aren’t evil, my queen. And in the process you can figure out who you want to be.” 

“What do you mean by 'figure out who I want to be?'” Chloé questioned.

“Well, all this time you’ve been mimicking your mother. And that isn’t really you, is it?” Chloé thought about the question she’d just been asked, unsure of how to answer. Pollen noticed, saying, “We’ll figure it out together, my queen. You won’t be alone in this.”

That’s right. She won’t be alone. She’ll have help.

Standing up, Chloé patted herself down, making sure she looked good enough to be seen, before heading back to the classroom.

* * *

The rest of the school day passed relatively quickly. Sabrina had taken notes for her when she wasn’t in class, and Chloé made sure to thank her quietly for it. Sabrina wouldn’t be joining her at the hotel though, so it was going to be just her and Pollen again. As Chloé went to exit the school though, she saw Marinette waiting at the door, without an umbrella. Chloé heard mutterings of ‘darn alarm’ and ‘running late’ and ‘of course it’s raining.’

Chloé felt Pollen peek out from behind her neck.

“This is a chance to start, my queen,” Pollen whispered into her ear. She was right. This could be her first act to change.

“Dupain-Cheng.” Chloé called while walking up, extending the umbrella towards her.

“What do you want Chlo-oh,” Marinette started, stopping when she saw the umbrella. She looked back up, obviously unsure of whether or not to take it.

“Don’t worry, Dupain-Cheng, I won’t melt,” Chloé said, pushing the umbrella into her arms, before walking to exit the building.

“Chloé, wait,” Marinette called. Chloé turned around, trying to put a scowl on her face. “I-I’m sorry for calling you evil in class. It was uncalled for. I let Ladybug’s speech get into my head, and I ended up hurting you. And for that, I’m sorry.”

Chloé was surprised by the apology. “W-whatever. It didn’t mean anything,” she stammered out, before speed walking to the limousine. Just as she was about to close the door Marinette called out once more.

“You should wear your hair down more, it looks nice!” Marinette yelled, sound carrying despite the rain. Chloé felt her cheeks warm up, and closed the door.

“Dammit,” she muttered. “That’s three.”

“Three what, my queen?” Pollen asked.

“Three people that made me blush today. And of course Marinette just had to be the last one,” Chloé replied, putting her face into her hands. Pollen smiled warmly, patting Chloé’s head. They stayed silent for the rest of the ride to the hotel.

* * *

“Will there be anything else for you, mademoiselle?” Jean asked after putting the tray on the island. He was too good at reading her, and knew she wanted to ask him something.

Chloé twiddled her thumbs, unsure of exactly how to phrase her question. Sighing, she simply asked, “How do I be exceptional my own way?”

Jean looked confused for a second, then thoughtful. “Well, that’s a difficult question,” he said, grinning. “Okay. Let’s start with this. What does it mean to be exceptional?”

“I thought it meant being perfect, not making any mistakes, but...someone challenged that idea. She told me that mistakes aren’t bad, and so that means they can’t be exceptional or unexceptional. So now...I just don’t know.”

“Alright, then let’s think about a new definition together. First off, we should go back to the idea of mistakes. Not whether or not they’re unexceptional, but instead...how do they make you feel?” Jean looked expectantly at Chloé, prompting her to speak.

“Umm...I don’t like making mistakes. It means that I’m unex-” she started, being cut off by Jean.

“Okay. You don’t like making mistakes. It doesn’t feel good to make a mistake, does it?” Chloé shook her head. It didn’t. It meant she failed, that she was unexcep-

“So, if mistakes are something that makes you feel bad, then wouldn’t other people making mistakes make them feel bad?” Jean’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She nodded to answer the question.

“Then maybe something that is unexceptional is something that makes you feel bad. Meaning something that makes you feel good is exceptional. Does that make sense?” She nodded once again.

“Good. Now, I’m going to use myself as an example,” Jean said. “I like to think that my life is pretty exceptional. That I’m exceptional in my own way. And this is because I’m happy. I do what makes me happy, what makes me feel good. Which means, that if you want to be exceptional in your own way, then....” he continued, trailing off.

Chloé took this to mean she was supposed to answer. “Then...I should do what makes me happy?” Jean gave her a gentle smile.

“Correct. You should do what makes you happy.” With her original question answered, Jean started walking towards the door. He turned towards her before exiting. “Have a good night, mademoiselle,” he said gently, before leaving the suite.

Pollen came back out from her hair, floating down to her tea. Since her father was once again away being mayor, Chloé picked up the tray, to watch tv while eating. She did have a nice night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Chloé has a new definition of what is exceptional. One that will allow her to grow.
> 
> Chloé is pan in this AU. She is comfortable with her sexuality, so she has that going for her at least. That doesn't mean she can handle being flirted with though. She has only come out to Adrien.
> 
> Ladybug's costume change represents a seven-spotted ladybird, the most common ladybird species in Europe.
> 
> Chat can now catch and purify the butterflies as well. This is to make the powers of creation and destruction more balanced. I hope it works.
> 
> Thank you to those who left comments, I enjoyed reading them.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)


	3. Evillustrator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who left comments last chapter. It's nice to know that people are enjoying my work :)

Chloé could already tell today wasn’t going to be a good day. It was day three of trying to figure out who she wanted to be, and she was still stuck. Nothing was coming to mind. She just kept going back to how her mother acted. And what didn't help is that it was keeping her up at night.

“This isn’t working, Pollen. I don’t know what to do,” Chloé complained to her kwami, moving the fruit around in her bowl. She didn’t have much of an appetite right now.

Pollen floated up to her, teacup in her paws. “I understand that this is difficult, my queen, but you can’t give up. You’ve barely even started.”

“Nothing is working! I just keep acting like Mother! I can’t figure out what I want to do, who **I** want to be!” she yelled, setting the bowl down. She wasn’t going to eat it anyways, so why bother holding onto it?

“Maybe what you need is a new role model. You’ve been acting like your mom so long, you’ve forgotten who you want to be. A new role model might help you figure that out again,” Pollen explained.

“And how long will it take to find one, huh?” Chloé retorted.

Pollen’s eyes narrowed at the tone. “I don’t know, my queen, but change like this isn’t easy. It might take a long time. But it’ll take even longer if you try doing this alone,” Pollen answered.

Chloé didn’t respond. Instead, she walked back into her room to finish preparing for school, leaving Pollen to finish the tea and fruit.

When they left for school, neither said anything. Nothing was said in the limousine either, but Pollen did keep a paw pressed to her neck. Even when they were fighting, she still reassured Chloé that she was there.

* * *

Science with Mme. Mendeleiev was always tense. It wasn’t that the material was hard, but almost everyone in Chloé’s class seemed to dislike Mendeleiev. Which, at times like this, made perfect sense. It didn’t help that it was near the end of the day, and the students just wanted to be done.

“M. Kurtzberg, what have I said about drawing that chicken scratch in my class?” Mme. Mendeleiev questioned, stalking up to Nathaniel’s seat. “This is the reason you always have terrible grades in science. Because you never pay attention. Now walk yourself down to the principal’s office. Maybe he can set you straight,” she demanded, tapping her foot impatiently as he picked up his stuff. 

As Nathaniel walked down the aisle, he tripped over someone’s bag, landing on the ground next to Chloé. The stuff he was carrying scattered around the floor.

Chloé stared at him, unsure what to do. Was she supposed to help him up? Maybe pick up his things? Would he even **want** help? Everyone had just stood around when Marinette called her evil, so everyone probably thought the same. Why would he want her help?

She had taken too long thinking, trying to come up with a decision on what to do, because Nathaniel got up and scurried to grab everything. Standing up, he glared at Chloé, before making his way out of the classroom.

Mme. Mendeleiev made her way back to the front of the class, calling for the students to pay attention. “Now, as I was saying, you will be in groups of three for these projects. First off is Chloé, Sabrina, and Marinette.”

Chloé sighed. She hadn’t yet forgiven Marinette for the whole ‘evil’ thing, and so this project would be...less than enjoyable. But she couldn’t do anything about it, so why bother? Once Mme. Mendeleiev has decided on something, she rarely reconsiders without a good reason.

After listing off the rest of the groups and wrapping up the explanation of the project, Mme. Mendeleiev dismissed the class. The students quickly left, eager to be done with school.

As Marinette walked past, Chloé grabbed her wrist. “Meet us in the library in ten minutes, we’ll decide roles,” she stated, before letting go and making her way to the library, Sabrina following behind. Chloé would include Marinette in planning and delegating everything, not eager to have more insults thrown her way.

In the library, Chloé thought back to Nathaniel. Why had he glared at her? It wasn’t like she did anything to him. Or...was it because she did nothing?

The sound of a chair being pulled up brought her out of her musing. She could think about it later. Looking up, Marinette had sat down at the chair, face neutral. Off to a great start already, it seemed.

The three spent the next 10 minutes deciding a topic and delegating roles. As they got started on their roles, however, they were interrupted by a giant floating hair dryer.

Chloé reacted first. "Run!" she yelled, standing up and fleeing from the hair dryer. She had to transform and find the akuma. The hair dryer had other ideas though, following after her, and starting to blast her with air.

She felt Pollen grip her hair, hanging on to prevent being revealed. But it wasn't clear if she could hold on long enough to get away. Chloé pulled her hair up, both to help Pollen stay secure and keep it out of her face.

Rounding a corner, she saw a blur of red and black fly over her, and the air that was blasting her stopped. Turning around, she saw Ladybug trying to ride the hair dryer like a bull.

Ladybug noticed her staring. "Go! Get to safety!" she yelled. Chloé decided that was a good idea. She would likely need help soon enough. 

Chloé managed to quickly find a place to transform. "Are you alright Pollen?" she asked. They may have had an argument, but Chloé still cared.

"I'm just fine, my queen. Now transform. Your team will need you," was the answer. Chloé did so, and flew back to the library.

Catching sight of her teammates, she flew to their side. "What's the situation?" she questioned.

Chat Noir turned towards her. "The akuma escaped. He fled as soon as Ladybug and I showed up, screaming something about 'humiliating' Chloé. Probably has a vendetta against her or something," he replied.

Ladybug spoke next. "If he's trying to harm her, then we need to protect her," she suggested. 

Queen Bee froze for a second. She couldn't suggest they not do that, it might make them question her capabilities as leader, and they need to trust her if they want to succeed against Hawkmoth. So...time to improvise.

"That's a good idea, Ladybug. But can you guys handle it? I need to deal with something outside the suit," Queen Bee said, hoping the two wouldn't ask too many questions.

Her hopes went unanswered, as Chat started asking questions. "But what if the akuma shows up without you there? We're going to need you." It **was** a good question. And one she even had the foresight to ask Pollen about.

"Our weapons come equipped with communication channels. They'll be just like our phones, and you can send messages to me if need be," she replied.

Ladybug and Chat both pulled out their weapons, trying to figure out how to access the channel. Queen Bee decided to let them figure it out themselves, give her some time to prepare for the absolute chaos she had likely just released upon herself. "While you two figure that out, I'm going to give Chloé a rundown and deal with my civilian life."

Queen Bee flew off, quickly making her way back to the hotel. It only took a minute for her rapier to buzz, signaling one of them had found out how to access the channel. More buzzes followed after. Chaos had been unleashed.

* * *

Stepping into her room, Chloé quickly dropped her transformation. She caught Pollen as the kwami flew out of her miraculous. Stepping into the kitchen, she pulled out a small jar of honey she started keeping on hand.

"I know it's not tea, but Chat and Bug will likely be here soon," she stated, handing the jar to Pollen. She took the jar, floating to a hiding spot. 

Chloé pulled out her phone, which she had luckily kept in her pocket. Everything else was at school, forgotten in the attack. She messaged Sabrina, asking her to bring it to her tomorrow. Sabrina replied quickly, saying that...Ladybug had taken it, and was going to bring it for her.

She heard knocking coming from her room. Entering, she saw Ladybug and Chat Noir standing on her balcony. “You should just be able to open it!” she called out, before walking to turn on the tv. This was an uncomfortable situation, so she wanted to keep interactions to a minimum. Prevent slipping up about her being their leader.

Ladybug and Chat Noir joined her in the main room of the suite. They looked at each other, probably unsure of how to broach the topic of ‘Hey, a kid possessed by a magic butterfly is out trying to harm you.’ So, Chloé did it for them.

“Queen Bee stopped by before you showed up. She explained what was going on,” she stated plainly.

“Oh, right, she told us she would fill you in. But yeah, bad guy is after you, and we’re here to protect you,” Chat said.

“That being said, do you know **why** the Evillustrator is after you, Chloé?” Ladybug asked.

“Well, did he say anything about me? Did he give a reason he was after me?” Chloé responded. She couldn’t remember acting out against anyone today.

“He was complaining about you humiliating him, or something along those lines,” Chat mentioned. The only person she’d been around who’d done something embarrassing was....

“Nathaniel,” she growled. “The akuma must be Nathaniel. But I didn’t do anything to him!” she complained. Even when she did her best to not act out people still saw the worst in her.

“Can you explain what might be the reason?” Chat asked.

“The only class where something happened today was him tripping in science. But that was because of a bag! I had nothing to do with it! Blaming me is just...ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous!” Why was she being blamed? Why was it going after her, and not the person who’s bag had tripped him? Hell, even Mendeleiev, who caused the whole thing by calling him out.

Ladybug spoke up, bringing her from her thoughts. “Did you try to help him at all?” It was a good question.

“No, I didn’t, but why would he even want my help. The whole class probably thinks I’m worse than Hawkmoth. I mean, no one even tried defending me when Marinette called me evil. Not even Adrien, or-or Sabrina.”

Ladybug cringed at the mention of her being called evil, but for what reason Chloé couldn’t figure out. Whatever reason, it was clear she’d made Ladybug uncomfortable. And it got even worse when Ladybug walked up to Chat, whispered something to him, and left the room. She’d done **something** to piss her off. If her teammates don’t like her civilian self, how could they like her sup-

“She just had something to do in her civilian life, like Queen Bee, Chloé. She didn’t leave because of anything you said,” Chat said.

“Did...was I thinking out loud?” Chloé asked. If she had, he might have figured her out.

“No, you weren’t. I’m just...perceptive for when people are beating themselves up. A friend of mine does the same thing,” he replied. “So...do you want to do something together for a while? It might help to relieve some of the stress.”

It was a good suggestion, so they found a show to watch for a while. They managed to get half-way through it before Chat’s baton started buzzing. Ladybug must have messaged him. He pulled open the communicator.

“Well, shit,” he swore.

“What? What’s wrong?” Chloé asked, standing up to walk over to him.

“Our akuma decided to find a different target. He found a girl in his class, Marinette, and coerced her into going on a date with him tonight. He agreed to not attack you if she went,” he said, showing a picture of her with the comment, ‘Cute, isn’t she?’ below it. “So...since you’re purrfectly safe, I’m going to run.” 

Chat Noir then left as well. Chloé was almost relieved. The akuma wasn’t after her, she wouldn’t have to worry about running off if he came, or not being able to transform. But now Marinette was being forced on a date. With a supervillain.

“Pollen!” she called. She needed to figure out a plan with Chat and Ladybug. Pollen floated over, and she called for her transformation.

* * *

She quickly flew over to Marinette’s. Ladybug said that she had something she couldn’t get out of in her civilian form, but would be able to show up for a fight if necessary.

Spotting Marinette’s balcony, she saw Chat chatting with her. She flew down, landing softly on the banister. “I got the news, Chat. Everything alright on Chloé’s end?”

“Chloé’s doing alright. She was stressing out, but we ended up watching a movie. It helped her calm down, so she seemed fine when I left,” Chat replied. Queen Bee nodded, then turned to Marinette.

“We need to figure out what to do with you. We can’t let an innocent civilian get hurt,” she said. “Any ideas where the akuma is, Chat?”

“Marinette and I were just talking about that, actually. The Evillustrator needs his stylus to draw, which is his way of attacking. He drew the hair dryer that attacked Chloé” he mentioned.

“Okay. Marinette, if you can manage to **safely** take the stylus from his, that would help us. If he can’t draw, he can’t do anything. But only do it if you can guarantee you can make it out safely,” Queen Bee commanded.

“I signed up for this, Queen Bee. I can do this.”

“Then we need to know the time and location of this ‘date’ so that we can crash it,” Chat said. Queen Bee grinned.

“Not a fan of...” she quickly thought up a ship name, “Evillustrinette, Chat?” Both Marinette and Chat gave her a blank stare.

“We’ll work on your shipping names later, my queen,” Chat said, patting her shoulder gently.

“What?” Queen Bee squawked. “I thought that was pretty good for being thought up on the spot.

“The problem with it,” Marinette started, “is that it should be Nathanette.”

It was Queen Bee’s turn to give a blank stare. “Why the hell do you know your own ship names?”

“Because I am an avid shipper. I was working on Myvan, but I’m pretty sure your team got that one sailing,” she responded. “Anyways, I’m meeting Evillustrator on the Seine around 7.”

“Cool. We’ll be there,” Queen Bee said, flying off.

* * *

Queen Bee hopped along the houses lining the Seine. She didn't fly, it might cause too much noise and draw Evillustrator’s attention, and that would put Marinette in danger. This whole operation put her in danger, actually. What was she thinking, allowing a civilian to help?

She finally found the boat where Evillustrator was having the date. Marinette was set to show up at 7, and it was ten till. She had ten minutes to gather as much information as possible, in case things went south. As much as she hoped, this was only their second akuma, and they were missing Ladybug.

Evillustrator had made a boat, which he was currently decorating. A purple mask interrupted his drawing. What was being said was unclear, but Hawkmoth was probably whinging about him not being focused on the miraculouses. When Evillustrator was about to remark back, he grit his teeth, clutching at his left hand, his drawing hand. Was...was he in pain? Hawkmoth could do that? That’s just...that’s just evil.

The purple mask faded, and he dropped his right. Marinette showed up right around then. They started talking, Evillustrator still drawing. She should’ve been closer.

A low rumble was heard, in the distance. Queen Bee glanced at the sky, seeing clouds blocking out the moon. Evillustrator appeared to do the same. The difference was, he looked angry about the fact. He crouched down next to one of the lantern’s he’d drawn. He needed light to draw.

And Queen Bee needed to get closer. Carefully dropping to the street, she made her way as close to the boat as she could. When Evillustrator and Marinette passed her, she quietly jumped on. Then the boat started moving down the Seine.

“-so talented. I just don’t understand why you’d want to use it to hurt people.” Marinette had started talking, drawing away his attention for some reason. Looking around, Queen Bee saw Chat Noir hop down from a bridge, landing gently above her. She motioned him to stay quiet.

“Not all people, just Chloé.” That hurt. She didn’t know whether to be happy she’d be his only target, or sad because she was a target to begin with. “-I’ll hold up my promise.”

“You know, I’m somewhat of a drawer myself. May I draw something?” Marinette was trying to get the stylus away. Good. It was time to get to work.

She signaled to Chat to move as she moved out of cover, still out of Evillustrator’s line of sight. Looking around the corner, she saw Marinette holding onto the stylus. Evillustrator was looking back, right at Chat.

“Marinette, let go of the stylus!” he yelled. Marinette appeared to refuse, still gripping it hard. Then, Chat’s baton extended between the two, causing them to split. Marinette shied away from Evillustrator. “I can’t believe you! You’re working for them? You’re just like Chloé! You just wanted to humiliate me!” he yelled loudly.

He then kicked Chat’s baton, sending it into Marinette’s hand and launching the stylus. Marinette clutched her hand, in pain from having a fucking baton smashed into it.

“Chat! Help Marinette!” Queen Bee yelled, flying after the stylus. Evillustrator noticed, jumping after her. Queen Bee managed to grab the stylus, but was grabbed by Evillustrator. Not expecting the extra weight, the two crashed, landing painfully on the deck of the ship. The stylus slipped out of her hands, and Evillustrator managed to grab it.

He quickly drew something, and Queen Bee felt chains pin her to the deck. She heard something fall behind her, then muffled yelling from Marinette and Chat Noir.

“Since you went back on your promise, I won’t uphold mine!” he yelled. She had to get back to the hotel fast. She needed to pretend she got herself out safely.

For all she did to escape the chains, they didn’t budge. And she couldn’t use ‘Subject,’ she wouldn’t have the time for Pollen to recharge. She...she didn’t know what to do.

She heard footsteps next to her. Craning her neck, she saw Chat rip out the bolts holding the chain down. She quickly stood up. “I’m glad I told Chloé to stay somewhere safe until Evillustrator is defeated. Now, we need to get to the hotel,” she commanded while checking her wings. They had held up just fine. Or maybe they’d corrected themselves.

“Marinette’s hand is fine, just a little bruised. And as soon as we cast the cure it’ll fix right up, as if it never happened,” Chat mentioned as they leapt off. He pulled out his baton, typing something into it. Queen Bee felt her rapier buzz, then again shortly after. “Ladybug is making her way to the hotel.”

“Good. Tell her we need to find a way to remove the light from the room. He can’t draw in the dark.” A buzz told her the message was sent, and another confirmed it had been read.

As they approached the hotel, they could hear the akuma yelling for Chloé, followed by crashes from inside her suite. The duo landed on the balcony, then picked up on the whirr of Ladybug’s yoyo.

“How did date night go, you two? You look fa-bee-lous, Queenie,” she quipped as she landed next to them. ‘Queenie’ felt blood rush to her cheeks.

“Flirt later, akuma now,” she squeaked out, making her way into the room. Evillustrator had torn the place apart looking for Chloé, and was now in the main room. Chat Noir and Ladybug slipped in after her. The trio made their way to the door of the main room, where Evillustrator was standing, seething.

As Queen Bee slipped into the main room, Evillustrator caught sight of her. “Where is Chloé!” he screamed.

“Hiding, like I told her to. You won’t find her,” she replied coolly.

“If you won’t tell me, then I’ll just have to crush you!” he yelled, starting to draw on his tablet. Queen Bee reacted quickly.

“Chat, hit the lights!” she called out, launching herself towards Evillustrator. A wall appeared in between them, which she managed to stop in front of.

“I won’t let you turn the lights off!” Evillustrator told Chat, **erasing** the lightswitch. Which...had the effect Queen Bee wanted. The lights turned off. “What?! But you shouldn’t have been able to switch them off!” he cried, confused. It was hilarious. A whirring sound followed by a yelp and the sound of something small hitting the ground signaled that Evillustrator had been done in. Now to find the dang stylus. In nearly pitch black darkness.

Feeling around, Queen Bee made her way back to her room, turning on the lights to allow some of it to filter into the main room. It was enough, letting Ladybug find the stylus and snap it in half. Evillustrator dissolved back into Nathaniel, and she quickly snatched up the akuma with her yoyo.

“Bye-bye, little butterfly,” she said sweetly as a pure white butterfly slipped out, fluttering off through Chloé’s room.

“Alright, cure time. We need to fix Marinette’s hand. And everything else,” Chat said.

Queen Bee’s teammates put their hands on her shoulders, and once again, the trio shouted ‘Miraculous Cure.’ The cascade of yellow, red, and black flew out, fixing everything that had been damaged. The light’s in the main room of Chloé’s room turned back on, with the light switch back. As the magic faded, Queen Bee couldn’t contain her laughter, much to Nathaniel’s confusion.

“Wha-what’s going on?” he asked. “Where am I?”

“You were akumatized, Nathaniel. Queenie is laughing at something that happened, don’t worry about it,” Ladybug said to comfort him.

Queen Bee managed to pull herself together. “Can you tell us what happened, Nathaniel?” She wanted to know why she’d been targeted, even if she didn’t do anything to him.

“I-it’s because of the science class I had today. First Mme. Mendeleiev sends me to the principal’s office, then as I’m walking out I trip on Mylène’s bag, and then Chloé clearly sees me on the ground and doesn’t even lift a finger to try and help me,” he explained.

“You know,” Ladybug started, “we visited Chloé while you were akumatized, to learn her version of things. She didn’t think you would want help from her.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Why would I refuse help from someone?” Nathaniel asked sarcastically.

“She believes that your class thinks she’s worse than Hawkmoth. Since no one tried defending her when Marinette called her evil,” Chat replied. Ladybug once again looked uncomfortable.

“Oh,” was all Nathaniel could say in response. It was an uncomfortable situation, so Ladybug’s discomfort was understandable.

“Well, we should get you home. Ladybug, Chat, you can decide which one of you is taking him. I need to go tell Chloé that it is safe to come out,” Queen Bee stated.

“But what about our flirt session? You said we could flirt later,” Chat reminded her. Queen Bee flushed at the thought.

“Uh....” she managed.

“Dang it, Chaton, you already broke her. That was supposed to happen later,” Ladybug joked.

“I-I’m going to go,” Queen Bee squeaked, making her way to the balcony and flying off. She found a safe place to drop her transformation, before putting Pollen in her hair and walking back into the hotel. Luckily, the room was empty.

“They’re gone, Pollen, you can come out,” she said, making her way to phone in food for the both of them.

They didn’t say much while eating. When they’d both finished, Chloé remembered what Marinette had done for her. She was confused as to why. Why would Marinette risk herself like that?

“Hey, Pollen, you up for transforming again? I...I need to pay someone a visit,” Chloé asked. Pollen nodded, so she transformed. Then, she made her way over to Marinette’s home.

* * *

Queen Bee landed on the balcony of Marinette’s room, touching down as softly as she could. She moved over to the trap door leading down to the bedroom, knocking softly three times. She didn’t want to disturb Marinette if she was sleeping.

When the trap door opened up to show Marinette popping her head up. “Queen Bee? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I just came to check up on you. You took a nasty hit when Chat and I crashed your date,” was her response.

Marinette motioned for Queen Bee to step back, which she followed. Marinette climbed up onto the balcony. She was in pajamas. Very cute pajamas. She walked over to the railing, leaning on it. Queen Bee followed, sitting on the railing, wings moving occasionally to keep her in place.

“Well,” Marinette started, “my hand is just fine. The hit just bruised me. And the cure made it like it never happened.” So, no lasting physical damage.

“Okay, so you’re fine physically. What about mentally, though? That...it must’ve been a stressful situation. I mean, Chat mentioned that Chloé was stressed out, it must’ve been worse for you.”

“It really wasn’t all that stressful for me. Evillustrator wasn’t likely to hurt me, and I’ve had worse injuries. I trip all the time. And, hey. I got to see superheroes in action. And maybe I helped Chloé a little too, getting her out of a stressful situation,” Marinette responded.

“Why did you help her? I was under the impression that you don’t like her all that much.” Queen Bee was genuinely confused. Here is this girl, who not too long ago called her civilian self evil, trying to help her out.

“Even if I don’t like her, she doesn’t deserve to be hunted down by a supervillain. She was in a bad situation, and I was in a position to help her. So I did.”

“Well, I’m sure she’s grateful for that.” She was.

“I can always hope.” 

Queen Bee had gotten what she’d come for, so she hopped off the railing. “Well, Marinette, thank you for your help today. And for helping Chloé.” She turned away, preparing to fly off.

“Ah, one last thing, Queen Bee,” Marinette said. Turning around, she saw Marinette striking a pose. “Like what you see?” she asked, a cheshire grin across her face. Queen Bee blushed furiously, reminded of her second day as a superhero.

“Ah-I-Um-I-I’m going to go,” she somehow managed to stammer out. **Marinette** was flirting with her. Marinette was flirting with **Chloé** , even if she didn’t know it. As she made her way back to the hotel, she kept thinking of the irony. A girl who doesn’t like her, flirting with her. Even more so, a girl who didn’t like her putting that aside to help her. It was...admirable.

* * *

“Hey, Pollen? Do...do you think Marinette might be a good role model?” she asked. “I mean, she doesn’t like me and yet she still helped me out.”

Pollen thought for a second. “Yes, my queen, she would be a good role model for you.” The answer was concise. Were...were they still fighting? Chloé never did apologize for that morning. She’d been unfair to Pollen, she needed to apologize.

“Pollen? Umm...I-I’m sorry about this morning.” Chloé had never really needed to apologize before, so she wasn’t quite sure what to do. So she did what Marinette had done. “I’m sorry for yelling, and for being snippy. You were just trying to help me, and I lashed out at you.”

Pollen smiled at the apology. “I forgive you, my queen. You were under a lot of stress, and so you did what you know. We can figure out better ways to deal with your stress later. But for now, it’s time to sleep.”

Chloé checked the time. It was well past 10. But she was distracted by whether or not her teammates could get a hold of her when she wasn’t transformed.

“Pollen, is there a way to connect the channel on my rapier to my phone? It would mean my teammates could get a hold of me at all times.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea, my queen. I’ll figure out how to do that next time you transform, and you can share the information to your teammates. But again, it’s time to sleep.”

“Right. Goodnight, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen.”

And she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm shifting around the timeline. The canon timeline is already wack, and I feel that changing the timeline will allow me to make a more cohesive story. For example, Marinette helping Chloé out. Chloé was put in a difficult situation, but Marinette helped her. Chloé will be able to put that idea into use. Helping people.
> 
> Chloé will be figuring out both of her teammates identities. Eventually.
> 
> Queen Bee's weapon has been changed to a rapier, instead of a sabre. I feel it fits more with the bee theme.
> 
> I will probably be including some texting in this. I feel it will also allow me to write a more interesting and more realistic story. These are teenagers in a modern day setting, they're going to communicate by text. Plus I get to include more Chat and Ladybug being chaotic.
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)


	4. Horrificator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a little Alya salt in this chapter. I like Alya as much as the next person, but she does have areas she could improve.
> 
> Some fluff between the heroes at the end.

Four days after Evillustrator, Chloé was sitting at her kitchen island, looking over the script she’d been provided. Somehow, Nino had managed to rope the entire class into filming a movie with him, to enter a contest her father had set up.

“I just don’t get why the first scene has the main character kiss Officer Jones. It just doesn’t make sense. She’s an independent woman, she doesn’t need a man,” Chloé told Pollen.

“While I agree, my queen, it is Alya and Nino's story. They can take it where they want to. Although, since it would be out of character, it might not look good for the contest,” Pollen pointed out.

Chloé understood her point. But it was still annoying. “Oh well. Not like I have a real role in this.” Nope. Instead of actually being able to do something, she’d been sidelined. That’s not what they called it, but that’s what it was.

Knocking at her door signaled that their food had arrived. She got up, letting Jean enter with breakfast. As he set the tray down, he noticed the script. “Oh, is your class participating in M. Bourgeois’ contest, mademoiselle?”

“Yeah, we are. Though I’m not too sure about our chances. The script is inconsistent. Nino and Alya want Agent Smith, the main character, to be independent. And yet, in the very first scene, is a kiss,” she answered.

Jean nodded his head. “Well, you can always hope. And maybe they’ll make changes on the fly. Improvisation is a thing,” he mentioned, walking towards the door. “Have a nice day at school, mademoiselle.”

“I will, Jean. You have a good day, too.”

As Jean left the room, Pollen made her way to her tea. After taking a sip, she looked at Chloé “Why are you studying the script so intently, if you don’t have a role in the film, my queen?”

“Mostly so I can point out inconsistencies. But...it also means I can understudy if necessary,” she answered. They ate quickly, before heading off to school.

* * *

“Cut!” Nino yelled. Mylène was underneath Mme. Bustier’s desk once again, cowering from Ivan, dressed up as a monster. “Come on Mylène. This is like, the tenth take, and we’re not even past the first scene.”

“The fourteenth, actually, but who's counting?” Alix quipped from the back of the room. Mylène’s head popped out at the words.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s just t-that the mask is so realistic. I-it’s scary,” Mylène apologized, still quivering slightly. It was pretty realistic. Marinette had done a good job making the mask.

Ivan took off the mask he was wearing, smiling at Mylène sweetly. “It’s just big old me, Mylène, there’s nothing to be scared of.”

“Ivan, put the mask back on. You’re supposed to be a monster. And Mylène, you're supposed to be a hardened agent from the special forces. You're not supposed to cower at the sight of a monster," Nino told her. Ivan put the mask back on. When Mylène looked at him, she once again started trembling.

"I-I just need to sing my happy song. Then I ca-" she started, before being interrupted by Alya.

"We don't have time, Mylène. If we're going to finish this in time, we need to get this done. Now, reset the scene," she commanded. Mylène was still trembling. If this kept going on, the scene would never happen. And Mylène was in a stressful situation. Chloé was in a position to help her.

"That's enough," she called out. Everyone looked at her, but she ignored her discomfort in order to address the girl who was trembling. "Mylène, you need to take a break and calm down. Do what you need to do, just make sure you're calm when you come back." Mylène nodded, making her way towards the door, but Alya was blocking her way.

"And what are we supposed to do without her, Chloé?" she scoffed. "We need to do the first scene, and we can't do that without Mylène."

"You have other scenes. Ones that don't have Agent Smith. How does the scriptwriter not know her own film?" Chloé responded. The snide remark just slipped out, she couldn't stop it.

"Oh, and you do?" Alya shot out. "You don't even have a role, why would you bother reading the script?"

The two went back and forth, with any attempt to calm the two ignored. At least, until Chloé noticed that Mylène had managed to slip out. When Chloé stopped responding to Alya, she looked around, noticing the same.

"Now what are we supposed to do? We can't shoot without our main character. You just had to scare her off, didn't you, Chloé? You really are evil," Alya sneered.

Chloé flinched at the accusation. She'd been right. They did believe she was evil. She stood up quickly, pushing past Alya to leave the room. She felt tears start to well in her eyes. Why did she bother helping, if she was just going to be punished for trying? Maybe this whole thing was a mist-

She was making her way past the restroom when she heard a low growl. Looking around, she froze in her tracks at the sight of a pink monster with blue dreads. An akuma. Likely Mylène, based on the events that had just unfolded. 

Preparing herself for an attack, she was surprised when the akuma...licked her. And then walked off. Chloé took it as her cue to leave, slipping into an empty room.

"Pollen? We have a situation," she said. Pollen flew out of her hair, putting her paw up to stop Chloé as she started her transformation phrase.

"Are you alright, my queen?" Pollen questioned. "You seemed really hurt by what Alya said."

Chloé shook her head. No, she really wasn't okay, but she didn't have time to worry about that. She had to track down the akuma and contact her teammates.

"We can talk about that later. We have an akuma to deal with. Now, Pollen, buzz on!" she answered, calling for her transformation. The rush of magic flowing over her body helped calm her down. She was Queen Bee, a hero. She had a mission to do.

As the transformation reached its end, she went for her rapier. She opened up the communication channel, ignoring the messages that were already there, and messaged her teammates about the situation.

With communicating her team out of the way, she flew out of the room, heading for the roof of the school. Hopefully, with a higher vantage point, she could spot the akuma, analyze it. She also came up with a cover story.

She had no luck finding any trace of the akuma, but she did see Ladybug and Chat Noir making their way towards her.

"Good evening, my queen," Chat said as they touched down on the roof.

"It's still afternoon, Chat," she responded.

"Oh, oops. I was too distracted by your bee-eauty to check the time." Queen Bee felt her cheeks heat up. She needed to get that under control.

"W-well, we have an akuma to deal with. I passed by Chloé on my way here. She believes it's Mylène Haprèle. Says that there was an argument in her class and that Mylène ran off," Queen Bee said, taking control of the situation.

"Is Chloé safe?" Ladybug and Chat asked at the same time. It was...nice that they were worried for her civilian identity.

"She is safe, just a little shaken. The akuma saw her and licked her, before walking off. She doesn't know why, though," she answered. "But again, we need to find the akuma. We should probably check her class first. If Mylène was akumatized because of them, she might be targeting them, like Evillustrator did with Chloé," Ladybug and Chat nodded, following her as she went in search of her classmates.

She flew around the school, pretending she didn't know what classroom they were in, before landing in front of Mme. Bustier's classroom. Opening the door, she walked in, followed closely by Ladybug and Chat.

Inside, Nino and Alya were arguing, trying to decide what to do. Queen Bee clapped twice, drawing the attention of the class.

"Hello, everybody. I regret to inform you that Mylène Haprèle has likely been akumatized," she started. "We believe tha-"

Nino interrupted her. "Oh my God, the heroes of Paris in my movie? This is totally rad, dude!"

"Don't forget about the Ladyblog! I'm finally going to get more footage for it," Alya said, pulling out her phone. That's right. Alya started a blog on the topic of Paris' superheroes. Why 'Ladyblog' though?

"We have more pressing matters than you two filming. It's possible that the akuma is after your class, and so you need to leave the school," Queen Bee said. Some of her classmates looked panicked at that. Should she have not told them?

Rose spoke up first. “W-why would Mylène be after us? And what about the students who left? Chloé, Adrien, and Marinette are all gone.”

“This must be because of Ch-”

Queen Bee spoke over Alya, ignoring her theory. “We don’t know for sure why Mylène is akumatized, but Chloé is safe. I don’t know about the other two, though. But again, you all need to evacuate. The Hive can deal with the akuma and find the other two. And it’ll be easier without having to worry about your class getting injured. So, let’s go.” Queen Bee turned towards the door, making her way out. When she made it out, she saw the schoolyard tinted in a sickly pink.

Looking up, she saw a translucent pink substance covering the top of school. Quickly flying up to it, she found that it was indestructible, at least with her strength. She flew around the school, seeing if there were any exits left, but nothing budged, so she returned to her teammates.

“Is everything alright, my queen?” Chat asked. Queen Bee stayed silent for a little, thinking of a way she could use this to their advantage. Them being trapped meant the akuma was still in the school, limiting her movement.

“The akuma has trapped us in here. You could destroy the substance, but we can use it to our advantage. Since the akuma is likely after the class, then the akuma will be here too. Letting the class leave would make it more difficult to track the akuma. We do still need to gather more information, though. ” she told the two heroes. They both nodded, turning to the class.

“Nino, I hope you get some good footage for your film. We need you guys to stick with us, though. Avoid being split from the group,” Ladybug told them. This was going to be difficult, allowing an akuma to stalk them.

“We should also check the rest of the school, see if anyone else is here,” Chat said.

"M. Damocles is still here, dudes. He needed to stay here in order for us to film," Nino mentioned. Queen Bee nodded, leading the group towards his office. Her teammates joined her in the front.

“So, Queenie,” Ladybug started, “when are we going to get to that flirt session you promised us last akuma?”

“Yeah, we never did get around to that, did we?” Chat Noir asked. Queen Bee once again flushed at the thought of a ‘flirt session.’

“W-we can discuss that later. For now, we need to focus on the akuma,” she responded. When they reached M. Damocles’ office, she noticed the same pink substance in globs on the door and the floor. She rushed forward, quickly opening the door, revealing an empty room, globs if pink scattered around. Flying to the desk, she saw papers lying about, scattered from a struggle.

Most of the class filtered in, filling up the room. They looked horrified at the sight in front of them.

“H-he isn’t d-dea-” Rose started, being interrupted by Queen Bee before she could finish her thought.

“No. I don’t think so. Just...let’s return to the classroom. I need to think,” Queen Bee said, leading them back. She knew that Rose had brought refreshments, which might help people calm down.

As they entered the classroom, Queen Bee heard a growl. The same growl she’d heard from the akuma, before Mme. Bustier’s desk flew towards the back of the room. The akuma roared, grabbing Nathaniel with its tail. Almost everybody screamed in terror, running back out of the room. The monster grew in size.

“Awesome,” Queen Bee heard someone say. Turning, she saw Juleka looking mystified at the akuma. It roared again, directly at her. “So awesome,” she said in response, which caused the akuma to shrink. Just as the akuma was about to attack Juleka, Ladybug dove forward, pulling her out of the classroom. The slime that was spit up instead hit the door. Queen Bee grabbed Nino, who was recording the akuma, pulling him out as well.

She flew over the railing, placing Nino down on the courtyard. Looking back at the room, she saw Chat scramble out, jumping down next to her. The akuma followed, Nathaniel shrieking in its tail. It jumped down as well, landing in front of the pair, a purple mask in front of its face.

The class had apparently made their way down to the courtyard, evident by their screams. The akuma grew, powered by their...their fear. They **needed** to calm down. Calm down....

"Ivan! What does Mylène do to calm down?" Queen Bee called, barely dodging some slime the akuma shot out. At least, her body made it out of the way. Her wings got covered in it. Disgusting.

"U-uh, she sings a song! It's called 'Smelly Wolf,'" he responded. The akuma looked toward him when he talked, jumping toward him.

"Well, it might be best if you all start singing! If we calm her down, she might stop!" she yelled as the akuma leaned towards Ivan. She was surprised when it licked him. 

When it pulled back and reached for Alix, the class started singing 'Smelly Wolf.' It was a horrible rendition, the notes everywhere **but** the actual melody, but it...seemed to be working. The akuma froze and started shrinking. It had reached the size of a housecat when it finished shrinking, and the students finished singing.

Chat popped up next to her as Ladybug went to find the akumatized object. "I'm almost surprised that that worked, my queen. Then again, it was your plan," he said. She smiled at him, before the two joined Ladybug, who'd just purified the akuma.

"You ready to cast the cure, my lady?" Chat asked. Ladybug nodded, putting her hand on Queen Bee's shoulder when Chat did. They shouted 'Miraculous Cure' in unison.

As the magic from the cure faded, the trio looked at Mylène, who seemed confused. Ladybug stepped towards her, ready to explain. "You were akumatized, Mylène. Could you possibly explain to us what happened?" Mylène opened her mouth, but was interrupted by Alya.

"This is because of Chloé. She sca-" Alya was cut off by Mylène, who managed to find a source of courage.

"N-no it's not, Alya. Chloé w-was trying to help me. She was right, I-I needed to calm down. You tried to keep me from doing that. A-and when you two s-started arguing, i-it was too much. I think I managed to slip out, b-but I don't remember anything else," Mylène said. Maybe that source of courage was defending someone. Queen Bee could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes again. This girl, the most easily frightened person in the entirety of the school, had found the courage to defend Chloé. **Her**.

Queen Bee fought back the tears. It would be difficult to explain. "Well, I believe that this is our cue to leave. Ladybug, Chat, shall we?" The two nodded, and they flew off.

"Are we finally going to do our flirt session, Queenie?" Ladybug asked with a smirk on her face. She was once again blushing.

"No. I need you to talk to your Kwami about connecting your phones to the communication channel. It'll allow us to communicate outside of our transformations if ever necessary. And before you ask," Queen Bee said as the two opened their mouths, "you can use it outside of emergencies. Learning about each other might allow us to be more effective teammates."

Her two teammates appeared giddy with the knowledge. Kwamis, they were cute. It brought a smile to her face. "Yes, yes. I'm not sure how it will work entirely, yet, but we'll figure it out. Anyways, nice work today, you two," Queen Bee said.

"You did most of the work, my queen. You were purr-fect today," Chat responded.

"And she was bee-eautiful while doing it, wasn't she Chat?" Ladybug quipped.

Queen Bee felt heat rising to her cheeks again. "W-well, I need to take a bath, get the feeling of that slime off of me," she said as she flew off.

"Would you like company?" her teammates called after her in unison, before laughing with each other. When Queen Bee made it back to the hotel and dropped her transformation, her face was as red as a tomato. Pollen looked at her, and couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"I take it your teammates are causing chaos, my queen?" she asked between laughs. Chloé ignored her, pulling out her phone. An nameless app that hadn't been there before had appeared. The icon was in the shape of a red, black, and yellow gankyil.

"Pollen, I take it that this is the communication channel?" she questioned, pointing to the app. Pollen nodded in response.

"Yes, it is. It'll only allow communication between your teammates, including those that may come in the future," Pollen responded. Chloé thanked her, before heading off to take a bath. Getting slimed with vomit was not her idea of fun, or clean.

* * *

When Chloé heard her phone buzz next to her, she knew exactly what it was. Her teammates had now gotten the communication channel on their phones. She pulled her arm out of the water, reaching for her phone. Opening it, she saw one message to the channel. She smirked, knowing immediately what to do.

**Chat Noir:** is it wroking?

 **Queen Bee:** wroking

 **Ladybug:** wroking

 **Chat Noir:** so that would be a yes. you two are bullies.

 **Queen Bee:** Correct. Did you actually need something, or are you just talking?

 **Ladybug:** oh no. she types like an adult.

 **Chat Noir:** just talking. home is boring.

 **Queen Bee:** Yeah, I get that feeling, too. At least I have Pollen.

 **Ladybug:** so, Queenie, how was the bath?

 **Queen Bee:** Still taking it, I like to soak.

 **Ladybug:** you trust yourself in the bath with your phone?

 **Queen Bee:** My phone is waterproof.

 **Ladybug:** lucky.

 **Queen Bee:** No, just well off.

 **Chat Noir** changed his name to **Maribug Shipper.**

 **Ladybug:** chat, what the hell is that name.

 **Maribug Shipper:** Evillustrator, you called Marinette cute.

 **Ladybug:** that name cannot stay. change it.

 **Maribug Shipper:** make me, my lady.

 **Queen Bee:** Enough, you two. It's a good idea to change your name, but I'm vetoing that one, Chat.

 **Maribug Shipper:** but whyyy?

 **Queen Bee:** Because I said so.

 **Ladybug:** ooh, pulling all the adult lines.

 **Ladybug** changed her name to **shipping queen.**

 **Queen Bee:** Excuse me, I'm the queen here.

 **shipping queen** changed her name to **shipping lady.**

 **Maribug Shipper** changed his name to **shipping knihht.**

 **Queen Bee:** knihht

 **shipping lady:** knihht

 **shipping knihht:** bullies.

 **Queen Bee** changed her name to **Sharpay**

 **shipping knihht:** that is a fa-bee-lous name, my queen.

The trio continued on for a while, until Chloé decided she'd soaked enough. When she finally finished her bath, it was time for dinner. She called food for her and Pollen. After eating, she spent the night talking with Pollen and her teammates. It was nice.

* * *

When Chloé walked into school the next day, she was not expecting to have Mylène and Ivan walk up to her in the locker room. Mylène looked nervous.

"H-hi, Chloé. I-I wanted to thank you for yesterday. You noticed that I needed to calm down, and tried helping me," Mylène said. Chloé was surprised.

"U-umm. You're welcome, I guess? But I should be the one thanking you, I think. Queen Bee told me about how you defended me to Alya. It must have been hard," she responded.

"It was, but...it's easy to find the courage to defend someone. For me, at least."

"Ah. Well, we better get to class," Chloé said. It had gotten awkward quickly. Chloé hadn't been thanked much, so she didn't really know what to do. Getting what she needed for class, she walked past the two. Maybe...maybe helping Mylène hadn't been a mistake. It felt nice to be thanked.

Any happiness Chloé felt from Mylène thanking her ended when she walked into the classroom and saw Alya and Marinette standing at her desk. Alya didn’t look too happy. As Chloé approached the two, Alya turned towards her.

“Chloé. I’ve been told that I was wrong about what happened yesterday, so, I’m sorry for what I said,” Alya stated. It didn’t sound sincere, leading Chloé to give her an incredulous look.

“Okay. Can I have my desk back, now, or is there anything else you need, Césaire?” Chloé asked. Alya looked annoyed at the dismissal, and opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Marinette.

“That’s all we needed, Chloé,” she said, dragging Alya off. When they made it back to their desks, they whispered to themselves, and as much as Chloé didn’t want to, she could hear their conversation.

“Alya, that apology was completely insincere, and you know it,” Marinette scolded. Alya snorted quietly at that.

“Because what reason does she have to help Mylène? She was probably just trying to take Mylène’s role so she could kiss Adrien. She’s obsessed with him, always hanging onto him when he doesn’t want her to,” Alya responded. It was almost amazing how wrong everything she just said was. She and Adrien had an agreement, and she let go of him when he told her to.

“You don’t know that, Alya. Like Mylène said, Chloé was trying to help. Maybe she’s trying to change,” Marinette argued. Alya scoffed.

“Yeah, right. People don’t just change, Marinette,” Alya said. Chloé stopped paying attention after that. Pollen and Jean said that they’d be there to help her figure herself out. She was trying to change. She **could** change. Right?

* * *

Chloé didn’t know why exactly, but after school she felt the need to transform and just fly around. Maybe it would help her think.

“Hey, Pollen, you mind if I fly around for a bit?” Chloé asked. Pollen nodded, so she called for her transformation. She grabbed her phone along with a pair of earbuds. Stripping the phone of its case, she went to her balcony and flew off.

Flying over Paris was peaceful without the worry of an akuma. It was nice to just relax as the wind blew over her. She made her way to the Eiffel Tower, sitting on one of the beams, away from the platforms. She didn’t want people crowding her right now. Putting in her earbuds, she started listening to Jagged Stone, thinking about school. Feeling her phone buzz, she saw a message from her teammates.

**shipping lady:** everything alright, Queenie? people are seeing you around.

 **shipping knihht:** nobody has seen an akuma.

 **Sharpay:** Sorry, I just wanted to fly around a little, think about my day. There isn’t an akuma.

 **shipping knihht:** would you like company?

 **Sharpay:** Sure. I’m at the Eiffel Tower right now.

Both of her teammates landed next to her a few minutes after the message was sent. She pulled out her earbuds, pausing the music at the same time.

“Is everything alright, Queenie?” Ladybug asked, concern evident in her voice. Queen Bee thought for a second. She could trust her teammates.

“I don’t know. I...just thinking about something that happened in school. It started out so well, then someone said something about me and it all just.... It’s messing with me, and I just had to get out for a little,” she explained. “Do...do you two think that people can change?” She felt her teammates sit down next to her. Chat wrapped his arms around her, and they felt familiar, but she couldn’t place why.

“Of course people can change. Look at Chloé Bourgeois,” Ladybug started. Queen Bee looked at her with the mention of her civilian name. “Yesterday, she tried helping a classmate. A year ago, she wouldn’t have cared. She’s making efforts to change, and it shows.” Queen Bee smiled. Someone outside of Jean and Pollen could see her attempts at changing.

“Right. Chloé has been trying to do better,” Chat added.

The three stayed there for a little, until Queen Bee stood up. Knowing that her teammates could see her changing helped. “Thanks. I...I’ve been trying to make changes to myself, and hearing what that person said was...it made me question whether I could. But whatever. You guys want to continue hanging out?” It was nice being around them. Pollen was good company, but being around others might help her feel better.

Ladybug and Chat looked at each other, grins setting on their faces. “Flirt session,” they said in unison. Queen Bee sighed.

“Do you two even know how to flirt?” she asked. Her teammates looked away. That answered that question. “Thought so. Let’s just...oh. We can play tag around Paris. We could find someplace to watch a movie. I could traumatize you guys with Fullmetal Alchemist.”

Chat lit up at the mention of the anime. “You’ve watched Fullmetal Alchemist?” Queen Bee grinned.

“Yes, I have. Have you, Ladybug?” Ladybug shook her head. Queen Bee’s grin grew wider. “Well, Chat, it seems we have someone to traumatize. Let me grab something with a bigger screen and we can watch it,” she said, holding up her phone. She flew off, Ladybug asking what she meant by ‘traumatize.’ This was going to be fun.

At the hotel, she dropped her transformation, catching Pollen. Pollen looked at her questioningly. “Are you sure this is a good idea, my queen?” Chloé nodded her head.

“Yeah. I...I don’t get too many opportunities to hang out with people my age. It’ll be nice. And my tablet shouldn’t tell them anything about me,” she responded. She gave Pollen some honey while searching for her tablet, opening up the first episode so her teammates wouldn’t find out anything.. Soon enough, she was flying back out over Paris. She found her teammates sitting next to each other, chatting about what they were about to watch. 

Planting herself next to Ladybug, she placed the tablet in front of them, and pressed play.

* * *

“Did you have fun, my queen?” Pollen asked when Chloé dropped her transformation.

“I did. It was fun. Especially the part where Chat and I had to run from Ladybug,” she answered. “I fully expected her to be angry, though. It was cute. So was Chat, when he got caught and she started tickling him.” Feeling a buzz, she pulled out her phone.

**shipping knihht:** i trusted you, my queen. and what do you do? abaondon me.

 **shipping lady:** abaondon

 **Sharpay:** abaondon

 **shipping knihht:** bullies

 **Sharpay:** You’ll just have to be faster next time, Chat.

 **shipping lady:** no, next time i’ll aim for you specifically, Queenie. so be prepared.

 **Sharpay:** Alright, Scar. I wish you luck in catching me.

 **shipping lady:** i don’t need your luck, Tikki gives me plenty to catch you.

Chloé smiled at her teammates’ antics. “You ready for dinner, Pollen?” When Pollen said yes Chloé went to ring up food. After Jean placed the tray down, he turned to Chloé with a smile on his face.

“You look happy today, mademoiselle. Did you have a good day at school, perhaps?” he questioned.

“Well...school started off nice. Myléne thanked me for trying to help her yesterday. But...someone else ruined that. But she doesn’t matter. I found more people that are able to see that I’m changing. So...today was pretty nice,” she responded with a smile.

“That’s great, mademoiselle. Will there be anything else for you tonight?” When Chloé shook her head Jean walked to leave the room. “Have a good night, mademoiselle,” he said before exiting.

“So, my queen, when are you going to continue watching that show with them?” Pollen asked.

“Don’t know. Hopefully soon, but not too soon. Ladybug won’t be happy about what happens to Maes. Why?”

“Because I like seeing you happy, my queen. If you had fun with them, you should hang out with them more, even outside of akuma battles.”

“We’ll see. I’ll need to figure out how to avoid Ladybug’s tickle attack, though.” Chloé smirked, remembering Chat’s response.

They talked about her teammates as they ate and prepared for bed. Before turning off her lamp, Chloé texted the channel one last time for the night.

**Sharpay:** Sleep well, you guys.

 **shipping lady:** you too, Queenie :D

 **shipping knihht:** will do, my queen

“Goodnight, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen.”

She did sleep well, dreaming of her teammates, her **friends**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya is a good person overall, but she does have some flaws. Alya is really headstrong, righteous, but also jumps to conclusions occasionally. She also often doesn't see the effect she has on others. Which can be harmful in some situations, like with Chloé. And since she is headstrong, she wouldn't be inclined to change her opinions.
> 
> It has been hinted that Mylène becomes the wielder of the mouse miraculous. Even means that even though she is easily scared, she is able to find courage when it comes to defending others. Which is why she is able to correct Alya after being deakumatized.
> 
> Sharpay is fabulous and blonde, so Queen Bee naming herself Sharpay just clicked for me. That and I couldn't think of anything else.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I know I enjoyed writing it. :)


	5. Pixelator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments last chapter, I enjoyed reading them. :)

The Friday of Mylène’s akumatization, Chloé was unprepared for what was happening when she walked into the hotel. Her father was at the hotel, which she expected because it was their usual day to eat together. But Jagged Stone was standing there as well, Fang curled around his feet.

“-a luxury hotel, not a zoo,” her father said. Chloé could instantly see where his mind was going.

“Umm, Father!” she called, walking up to him quickly. He leaned down towards her, so she whispered in his ear. “That’s Jagged Stone, the rock star. He’s a top rated musician, and very famous.” Her father still looked uncertain about him, so she sighed. “He’s also very rich.” That got her father’s attention, as he put on a happy face and went to address Jagged.

“M. Stone, welcome to Le Grand Paris Hotel,” he said happily. “I am Mayor Bourgeois, owner of this establishment, the most luxurious in Paris. How might we serve you?”

“How d’you think?” Jagged replied sarcastically. “I’m not here to admire your lobby.”

The woman behind Jagged, who Chloé assumed was his assistant, Penny Rolling, chimed in after that. “Jagged wants your most luxurious suite,” she commented.

“And Fang better get a real bathtub, not a tiny waterin’ hole like the hotel across the street,” Jagged added.

“I assure you, Mrs. Fang will have the best accommodations Paris has to offer,” her father assured. Penny put her hand over her mouth to stop from laughing. Chloé didn’t stop hers as she tapped her father’s shoulder.

“Fang is Jagged Stone’s crocodile, father,” she said in between laughs, pointing down towards the croc at Jagged’s feet. Her father followed her finger, once again looking unsure as to what to do. It was kind of funny, seeing him at a loss for words. She turned to Jagged, taking over for her father. “The hotel will be able to provide anything you may need, M. Stone. I can help you check in and find your room, if necessary.”

“And who might you be, little lady?” Jagged asked. Chloé looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

“I’m Chloé Bourgeois, M. Stone. Now, shall we get you checked in?” she responded. Jagged nodded, so she checked him in, then guided him to his room. “Is there anything else you’ll be needing, Mr. Stone?”

Penny turned to her, nodding. “M. Stone needs a new pair of shades for his gig tomorrow. He wants them to be blue, white, and red, with two large Eiffel towers on them.” Chloé to show that she’d get them, and left the room, heading back up to her family’s suite.

As Chloé entered her room, she went full fangirl. “Oh my kwamis, Pollen, that was Jagged Stone.  **The** Jagged Stone is staying at my family’s hotel. I’m helping him with his wardrobe.” She thought for a second when remembering the glasses she’d been told about, her enthusiasm dying out. “I have to get him something that doesn’t exist. And I don’t know how to make sunglasses.”

Pollen floated up in front of her. “No, but you do know someone who does, my queen. Marinette is a designer, isn’t she.” Right, Marinette designed, and was good at it, but....

“But Marinette doesn’t like me. She wouldn’t do a commission for me. However,” she thought aloud, “she doesn’t dislike Queen Bee. Do you think Queen Bee might be able to pay Marinette a visit on my behalf, Pollen?” Pollen nodded in response, so Chloé called for her transformation.

* * *

Setting down on Marinette’s balcony softly, she padded over to the trap door and knocked three times. Just like she’d done during Evillustrator. Hearing the sound of someone tripping inside, Queen Bee grew concerned for Marinette. Sure, tripping was something that happened often, but still. It had to hurt.

Seeing the trapdoor open up, Queen Bee stepped back. Marinette poked her head out, looking surprised. “Oh! Queen Bee, what are you doing here?” Marinette asked as she pulled herself up onto the balcony. Queen Bee twiddled her thumbs, unsure of what exactly to say.

“I, umm, have a commission for you. Well, Chloé does, and she wasn’t sure whether or not you’d do it if she asked, so she asked m-” her rant was cut off by Marinette, who had started giggling. “What?"

“Ranting is what I used to do around my crushes,” Marinette said. Queen Bee flushed at the implications, turning away.

“As I was saying, Chloé has a commission for you. She needs sunglasses with two large Eiffel towers on them, in the colors of the French flag. They’re for Jagged Stone, but she’s seen your designs, and says that they’re good,” Queen Bee said pointedly. Marinette laughed at her avoidance of the question.

“Tell her I’d be happy to do them. And that she doesn’t need to go through you, even if it would be a bonus,” Marinette responded. “Did she tell you when she needs them?”

“She needs them tomorrow. Jagged Stone has a show he wants them for,” Queen Bee answered. Marinette frowned slightly, muttering ‘not much time,’ before putting a smile back on her face.

“Does she want me to show her designs, or am I doing this on my own?” she asked.

“She says that you are a good enough designer to not need her input with this, Marinette.” Marinette looked surprised at this, but quickly hid it. “Also, she’ll be aiding the front desk so that you can deliver it to Jagged Stone yourself. She believes you deserve the recognition for your work.” Marinette somehow managed to look more surprised, but Queen Bee ignored it.

“Alright, then. Is that all you need, Queen Bee? You’re welcome to stay for a little,” Marinette offered. Queen Bee shook her head.

“I appreciate the offer, but I have things to do in my civilian life,” she lied. Marinette nodded, turning around to go back to her room as Queen Bee flew off, back to her room.

As she dropped her transformation and laid down on her bed, Chloé felt her phone vibrate. Pulling it out, she saw that it was a message to the communication channel.

**shipping knihht** changed his name to  **Maribee Shipper.**

**Sharpay:** Chat, what the hell is that name?

**Maribee Shipper:** i heard through the grapevine that you paid Marinette a visit again, my queen.

**Sharpay:** No, you are not naming yourself that. Change it.

**Maribee Shipper:** what are you going to do about it?

**Sharpay:** Chat, if you don’t change your name, I will pay Ladybug to hunt you down and tickle you after the next akuma we face.

**Maribee Shipper:** ...

**Maribee Shipper** changed his name to  **can’t ship.**

**Sharpay:** Good boy.

**can’t ship:** hey, i’m not a dog

**shipping lady:** woof

**can’t ship:** bitch :P

**shipping lady:** D: Queenie, are you just going to stand around and let this happen?

**Sharpay:** No, I won’t.

**shipping lady:** :D

**Sharpay:** I’m going to lay around and let it happen.

**shipping lady:** D:

**can’t ship:** yes! my queen is on my side! take that, my lady

Chloé couldn’t help but smile at her teammates’ antics. It was fun to talk with them. But as much fun as it was, she needed to tell the front desk about Marinette. And maybe find her father, so she could spend some time with him. Sitting up, she muted her phone, stuffing it in a back pocket and making her way out of the suite.

When she reached the lobby, she saw that her father was no longer there. Oh well, he was probably just somewhere else in the hotel. Walking up to the front desk, she addressed the clerk. “Tell the clerks who are manning the front desk tomorrow that I will be assisting them until a classmate stops by.” The clerk nodded, writing down the information, so Chloé continued. “Also, do you know where my father went?” she asked plainly. The clerk frowned at her question.

“I’m sorry, Mlle. Bourgeois, but your father had to go back to the mayor’s office. He said he would not be able to have supper with you tonight. However, he did leave this for you,” the clerk responded, pulling out a small box. Chloé took it from them and opened it, revealing a bracelet.

“Because this totally makes up for missing out on supper,” she muttered, closing the box and making her way to the elevator.

Back in her room, she tossed the box into a drawer in her vanity. Maybe when she was less disappointed she’d come back for it. But for now, she didn’t want to think about the disappointment. Instead, she ordered food for herself and Pollen. She didn’t sleep well that night.

* * *

Chloé woke up the next morning to the sound of her alarm. “It’s Saturday, why do I even have an alarm set?” she grumbled. She heard the pillow next to her ruffle, no doubt Pollen waking up. Of course, she apparently couldn’t let either of them sleep in.

“My queen, aren’t you going to get up? You said you would help the front desk today.” Chloé groaned. That’s right, she needed to make sure Marinette could deliver the commission. Groaning some more, she got out of bed and got dressed. When she sat down at her vanity, she saw growing dark spots underneath her eyes.

“Dammit,” Chloé muttered. She thought she’d managed to be rid of those. Putting on her makeup, she managed to cover up the dark spots completely. But she still wasn’t happy about it. Even if no one else knew about the dark spots, she did. And it made her unhappy. It meant she wasn’t exceptional. It meant th-

“My queen!” Pollen yelled, startling Chloé out of her spiral. Chloé looked at her guiltily. How long had she been musing? “Are you alright, my queen? You haven’t zoned out like that in a while. I’m sure you can just tell the front desk who to look out for and go back to sleep.” It was a good suggestion, but....

“Sorry, Pollen, for zoning out like that, but no. I...I need to make sure that this goes smoothly,” Chloé replied, getting out of the chair and making her way downstairs. Downstairs, she made her way behind the front desk, sitting down next to the clerk, the same one from yesterday. Chloé busied herself helping them with a stack of papers.

An hour into her work, she saw a man approach the front desk. Looking up, she saw the man wearing a Jagged Stone shirt, a camera around his neck. “Excuse me,” he said, “would it be possible for me to know what room Jagged Stone is in?” Chloé could already tell that this isn’t someone Jagged wouldn’t want to interact with. An entitled fanboy.

“No, we will not be telling you what room M. Stone is in,” Chloé responded coolly. “If that’s all I can show you the exit.” The man made no attempt to leave, instead deciding to press on to Chloé’s annoyance.

“Please? I-I’m Vincent Aza, his bigg-”

“I said no!” Chloé snapped, making the clerk next to her jump. She’d have to apologize for that later. “Now, M. Aza, Le Grand Paris hotel does not make a habit of allowing entitled fanboys into the rooms of our guests. So, if you do not remove yourself from the premises, I will call the police. They will not be as kind as I am being right now. Because of that, I recommend you leave. Now.” Her voice was acid, and it did the job. Vincent left the hotel without saying anymore.

Chloé turned to the clerk next to her, who flinched slightly. “Sorry about that. I’ll leave as soon as my classmate comes by to drop off her commission,” she said guiltily before turning back to paperwork. Soon enough, Marinette arrived, walking up to the front desk. Chloé stood up, planning on heading back to her room as soon as she told her where Jagged was staying.

“H-hi, Chloé, I have your commission,” Marinette said, holding up a pair of sunglasses that looked exactly like what Jagged had wanted. Chloé nodded, stepping out from behind the counter and saying goodbye to the clerk.

“Thank you for your help this morning, mademoiselle,” they said. Chloé hadn’t been expecting it, not after her outburst, but it still brought a small smile to her face. She led Marinette to the elevator closest to where Jagged’s room was, and stepped in, Marinette following her.

As the elevator doors closed behind her, she remembered something. “How much do I owe you for the glasses?” she asked, turning towards Marinette. “Queen Bee didn’t mention you saying a price.”

“Oh, you don’t need to pay me Chloé. I’m happy to help,” Marinette responded, waving her hands in the air. Chloé looked at her incredulously, before pulling her wallet out of her purse getting a hundred euro note. Reaching quickly for one of Marinette’s hands, she placed the bill in the palm and closed the hand around it.

“It was a commission, Marinette. I’m not going to not pay,” Chloé growled, before turning back towards the elevator door. When they reached the floor Jagged was on, she changed her plan. If this girl wouldn’t take payment for the sunglasses, how certain could Chloé be that she’d take credit for them? Stepping out, she pulled Marinette along to Jagged’s room, before knocking loudly three times. The door opened up, revealing Jagged next to Penny, Fang laying on the couch behind them.

“Hello, M. Stone, Penny. This is Marinette, the girl who I commissioned to make Jagged’s sunglasses. She has something for you,” Chloé stated, presenting Marinette to the two.

“H-hi. I-I, um, I was commissioned to make these for you,” Marinette said, holding the glasses out to Jagged. Jagged examined the glasses for a moment, before grinning.

“Wow, girl. You totally managed to nail my style. Tell me, how much do I owe you?” Jagged asked.

“O-oh, um, y-you don’t owe me anything, M. Stone,” Marinette said. Jagged frowned.

“Of course I do, girl. Talent like yours deserves recognition. Penny, get me my wallet,” Jagged responded, much to Marinette’s apparent dismay. Penny walked off, quickly returning with a black leather wallet. Reaching in, Jagged pulled out a hundred euro bill. “Here, it’s not much right now, but now I know who to commission if I ever need anything.”

Marinette spluttered, trying to deny payment, but Jagged grabbed her hand, doing the same thing Chloé did. Chloé stifled a laugh, but didn’t hide the amusement from her face.

As Jagged closed the door, Marinette turned to Chloé, face red. “You...you...I....”

“I’ll ignore whatever you’re thinking of saying in favor of a thank you, to which I’ll respond you’re welcome,” Chloé said, grinning. Turning around, she walked back to the elevator, Marinette trailing behind her. As the elevator opened, the two heard a sound behind them. They both looked back, and saw a bright burst of light, which faded to reveal a man decked out in blue and black. An akuma, most likely. And she couldn’t transform because Marinette was here. What was she supposed to do?

Marinette made the decision for her, pushing her into the elevator and pressing the ‘close doors’ button. “Go! I-I’ll try and find a way to hold the akuma off while you get to safety,” Marinette said as the doors closed. Chloé thought for a second, then took advantage of the situation, pushing the button to her family suite. No one else would be there, so it didn’t matter if she transformed now.

“Pollen, Queen Bee is needed,” she said, cueing Pollen to fly out. “Pollen, buzz on.”

As soon as the doors opened, Queen Bee flew off at top speed, flying down to Jagged’s room. Inside, Ladybug was dodging beams of light. Queen Bee flew through the window, the glass bouncing off of her harmlessly. Thank you, magic.

“Ladybug, what’s the situation?” Queen Bee asked, swiftly flying over to her and pulling her out of the way of a beam. They landed behind a loaded luggage cart. Guess Jagged didn’t unpack yet. The two pushed it towards the akuma, knocking him over, and all the luggage landed on top of him.

“Jagged is safe, a girl named Marinette got caught by his camera,” Ladybug responded. Dang it, Queen Bee hadn’t been fast enough. Ladybug pulled her towards the couch in the other room, where Queen Bee saw a head of purple and black hair. Jagged Stone. Grabbing Jagged as Ladybug opened the window, the two heroes fled to regroup with Chat Noir and plan, Jagged in hand.

As they flew off across the city, a beam of light blew over Queen Bee, and she felt herself falling. “Shit!” she yelled as the street approached. Her wings must’ve been caught.

Her unplanned descent was cut off by Ladybug grabbing her waist. Together, three made their way...wherever Ladybug was taking them. Somewhere safe, hopefully.

Eventually, they landed at Queen Bee’s school. She quirked an eyebrow at Ladybug, who grinned. “Who would look for a rock star at a Lycèe?”

“I guess,” Queen Bee responded, shrugging. She reached down to her rapier, quickly messaging the communication channel. Receiving a response from Chat, she closed the channel and turned to Ladybug. “Alright, we need a plan. Based on the fact that his camera was shooting beams, I’m going to guess that is most likely where the akuma is. As for who it is....” Queen Bee thought back to the akuma. Photographer with purple-pink hair. “Vincent Aza. An entitled fanboy who was trying to harass Jagged this morning.”

Jagged Stone chose that moment to pipe in. “Oh, that guy. Yeah, I know him. He’s been to my last 36 shows, and he’s constantly tryin’ to take a picture with me,” he said. Queen Bee and Ladybug nodded, and heard a clack behind them. Turning, they saw Chat Noir touch down on the ground.

“My queen, my lady,” Chat said. The two smiled at him.

“Chat. There’s an akuma around. Uses a camera to...actually we don’t know what the camera does. But people disappear if they’re hit with the beam of light from it,” Queen Bee stated. “And so do wings,” she added showing him her wings, which appeared pixelated. “We should deal with him quickly, though. Since the visor cuts off most of his vision, it might be easy for one of us to sneak around him.” Her teammates nodded, and Ladybug pulled out her yoyo, turning it to a news channel somehow. Peering into it, she saw the akuma moving down the streets of Paris, zapping people left and right.

“We better get going, Queenie,” Ladybug stated. The trio leapt off, Queen Bee missing her wings already.

They soon reached the street where the akuma was. All of his targets were in front of him, so Queen Bee motioned for Chat to come from behind. Ladybug and Queen Bee moved to the front, stepping into his path. At the sight of them, a purple mask covered his face.

“I’ll get you the miraculouses, as long as I get to keep Jagged,” the akuma growled. Make that really entitled.

“Jagged isn’t yours to keep, Vincent,” Queen Bee called, pulling him away from his conversation. “And he doesn’t owe you any pictures.” This clearly pissed off the akuma.

“I’m his biggest fan! I deserve at least one picture with him! And my name is PIXELATOR!” the akuma roared. He moved his hand to the camera. “Now, look into the lens!” he said creepily. Pressing down, a beam of light shot out, which both Ladybug and Queen Bee dodged. Together, they distracted him, keeping him facing towards them as Chat approached from behind. All did not go according to plan, though.

“Go Chat Noir!” a civilian cried out just as Chat reached for the visor. The akuma turned around, jumping back and pressing down. Chat barely managed to duck underneath, a cat ear pixelating. He jumped back as well, bounding behind a car.

“Dammit,” Queen Bee growled. That plan didn’t work. And Pixelator wouldn’t fall for it again. They needed to try something else. And Queen Bee would need to reprimand that civilian for interfering with her plan. They spent the next few minutes dodging beams as Queen Bee tried to form a plan. Then, someone else joined up with them.

“Hey there, Pixelator,” Jagged Stone called out from on top of a car. Pixelator looked towards him, smiling eerily. “I heard you wanted my photo.”

“Jagged! It’s about time you showed up,” Pixelator said, approaching Jagged. “Time for a photoshoot. Look into the lens.” Jagged suddenly held up his hands.

“Wait, this isn’t my good side,” he muttered, striking a different pose. “No.” He struck another. He continued muttering and posing for a few seconds. Queen Bee quickly thought up a plan to defeat Pixelator. Ripping a mirror off of a car, she passed it to Ladybug.

“Just as he is about to take a photo, throw this in the path of the beam. Chat will take care of the visor,” Queen Bee said, quickly opening the channel on her rapier and sending a message.

“Come on, open your eyes,” Pixelator murmured. When he said it, Jagged followed the command. Ladybug reacted quickly, chucking the car mirror in the path. Her luck worked like a charm, the mirror passing redirecting the beam at Pixelator. As he disappeared in a flash of light, Chat dove in, grabbing the visor. Crushing it, he pocketed the butterfly.

Ladybug and Queen Bee walked over to him. He turned towards them. “Time to cast the cure, my queen?” Queen Bee nodded, so both of her teammates put their hands on her shoulder. 

“Miraculous Cure!” they shouted, sending yellow, red, and black magic flying across the city. As the magic faded, they turned to Vincent, who had reappeared, brought back from wherever by the cure.

“H-huh? Where am I?” Vincent asked, looking at the trio.

Queen Bee signed, and motioned to her partners to deal with him. She didn’t want to snap again. Instead she turned to Jagged. “Are you alright, Jagged?” she asked calmly.

“I’m just fine, um, Queenie?” he responded. Queen Bee laughed lightly at the nickname that Ladybug used.

“I’m Queen Bee. My teammates are Ladybug and Chat Noir. We are the Hive, the defenders of Paris, Jagged. I’m surprised you didn’t hear about us,” she said, correcting him.

“Oh, right. I didn’t pay much attention to the news on my flight up,” he explained. “Say, I have a gig tonight. You think you and your teammates would like to watch, as payment for saving me earlier, and now?” Jagged asked. Queen Bee turned to her teammates, who had approached while the two were talking. They both shrugged and nodded towards her, telling her it was her decision.

“Well, Jagged, no payment is necessary, this is just what we do. However, if you still insist, I’m sure we can pay your concert a visit,” she responded, grinning. She’d never been to a concert before, but she’d always wanted to go to one.

“Alright! I’ll find some way of getting you three in. I might even write a song dedicated to you, if that’s cool,” Jagged exclaimed. Queen Bee’s grin widened.

“Ladybug, Chat? What do you think?” Queen Bee asked. They both nodded. “Well, Jagged, I believe you have your answer. Now, we’ll be going. Oh, want a lift to the hotel? You didn’t get much of a flight.” Jagged grinned wildly, and nodded. Queen Bee grabbed onto his waist, and flew off back to the hotel. Setting him down on the balcony, she saw Penny and Fang rush over to him. Penny hugged him, and Fang curled around his feet.

“I’ll see you tonight, Jagged,” Queen Bee said, before flying off to an alley. She couldn’t go directly to her room this time. 

Catching Pollen as she dropped her transformation, Chloé set her in her hair and walked back up to her room. “Oh my kwamis! I get to go see Jagged live!” Chloé was back in fangirling mode. “And my teammates are going to be there as well. This is the best day ever!” she squealed. Pollen smiled at her, obviously happy that her wielder was happy.

“I’m happy for you, my queen. Just make sure you keep your teammates’ chaos under control,” Pollen cautioned. Right. She quickly pulled out her phone and opened up the communication channel.  _ ‘I need a new name, for that. Too many syllables. Hmm...group chat,’ _ she thought aimlessly to herself. She opened up the group chat and sent them one short, threatening message.

**Sharpay:** If you ruin this concert for me, I will tickle you both to death. Do not cause too much chaos.

* * *

Fifteen minutes before the concert, Queen Bee found herself sandwiching Chat Noir with Ladybug in a VIP section prepared for them, where they wouldn’t be crowded by people. It was nice for Jagged to prepare this for them. And it meant that any chaos her teammates caused was isolated.

“I can’t believe that I actually get to see Jagged live. This is freaking awesome,” Chat mentioned. Queen Bee smiled, looking at him.

“I know, right? I don’t  **want** to be happy someone got akumatized, but this one was well worth it,” she said. Ladybug smirked at her.

“Geez, Queenie, I thought Chat and I were the chaotic ones, yet here you are. Enjoying the spoils of someone becoming a villain,” Ladybug quipped. Queen Bee looked at her.

“I’m not the only one who has enjoyed the outcomes of akumas. Let’s see. Myvan became a thing during Stoneheart, which you were glad about, Mylène found the courage to speak up after her akumatization, which helped Chloé,” Queen Bee replied. “So, sure, people turn evil for a few minutes because of a butterfly. That doesn’t mean everything has to be bad about it.”

“I guess. Maybe we can get some good out of these akumatizations,” Ladybug acquiesced. “Oh, and since Chat nearly got hit by the beam when that civilian called out, people won’t interrupt our fights now.”

Queen Bee frowned. “Right, that was a thing. I was going to call him out on it, but I was distracted by Jagged. Do you think we should make an announcement about that?” Chat shook his head.

“People should be smart enough now to not interrupt, since the whole ordeal was broadcast,” he answered. “But, we have a show to watch.” Chat pointed towards the stage, where Jagged Stone was making his way towards a piano, wearing the sunglasses Marinette made. The concert hall erupted with cheers and applause, dying down after a few seconds. Jagged pulled a mic down, addressing the crowd.

“Good evening, Paris!” he called out through the mic. More cheers came from the crowd. “This song is dedicated to the Hive, the defenders of Paris, and the people who saved me today. Let’s hear it for the Hive!” He pointed towards the trio in their own VIP section, who waved at him. Claps and cheers came from everyone, and Jagged joined in. As the noise died down, Jagged placed his hands on the piano, and started playing.

* * *

“That was freaking sick, Pollen! I wish you were able to watch as well,” Chloé mused. Pollen looked at her, grinning.

“I was, my queen. While you are transformed I can see and hear what you do,” Pollen mentioned.

“You can? What did you think?” Chloé asked.

“I agree with you, my queen. It was a really enjoyable show,” Pollen answered. “And the song he wrote dedicated to your Hive was really good, even though he wrote it in such a short timeframe.”

“Yeah, he’s really good at stuff like that. It must take a lot of practice, to be able to play like that with so little time to learn the music,” Chloé responded, before yawning.

Chloé pulled out her phone, checking the time. It was late, later than she usually went to bed. Setting her phone down, she went through her usual nightly routine.

When she returned to her bed, she picked up her phone, messaging the group chat.

**Sharpay:** I hope you two had fun tonight.

**can’t ship:** of cuorse we did, my queen. who wouldn’t have fun at a Jagged Stone concert

**shipping lady:** cuorse

**Sharpay:** cuorse

**can’t ship:** bullies

**Sharpay:** Of ‘cuorse,’ Chat. What do you expect from us?

**can’t ship:** not traitors. :(

**shipping lady:** well too bad, Chaton.

**Sharpay:** Anyways, goodnight you two. Sleep well.

**can’t ship:** goodnight, my queen, my lady

**shipping lady:** sleep well, Queenie, Chaton.

Chloé set her phone on her nightstand, plugging it in and turning off the lamp. “Goodnight, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen.”

Chloé fell asleep smiling, rocking out alongside her teammates and Jagged in her dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette deserves recognition for her work, and I'm making sure she knows that. And I don't remember her receiving any payment for the glasses she made, so I'm making sure that she does get paid.
> 
> André Bourgeois is a neglectful father, using gifts as a way to try and appease his daughter. But that doesn't help, Chloé actually needs parental figures in her life. Who will those be? I don't know yet.
> 
> Tickling is a very serious threat with these three. Ladybug would be the best tickler, and Queen Bee the worst. But Ladybug and Chat are far more ticklish than Queen Bee. So it evens out.
> 
> The Hive receiving recognition for their work. All three of them, not just one.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. :)


	6. Princess Fragrance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a timeskip. The last chapter ended on September 13th. This chapter starts October 9th.
> 
> For the purposes of this story I am using a 2014 calendar. Is it actually 2014 in the story? I dunno.

For the Hive, dealing with akumas was like clockwork. An akuma was released every four days, and the trio swiftly brought them down. That pattern changed at the beginning of October, when Hawkmoth stopped sending akumas. And Chloé was not happy about it.

“Something is up, Pollen, there has to be,” Chloé muttered, rubbing her eyes. “Hawkmoth has always sent akumas every four days.” Her mind was racing over every akuma the Hive had faced, eight in total. They’d all followed the same pattern, excluding Stoneheart where they hadn’t purified the butterfly. “Wait, Pollen. Back during Stoneheart, you mentioned that the butterflies were being corrupted by chaotic energy.” Pollen nodded. Good, Chloé had remembered correctly. She wasn’t mistaken. “If Hawkmoth has to corrupt the butterflies with energy, then that means he has to collect that energy.”

“That is correct, my queen. But where are you going with this?” Pollen asked, confused. Chloé thought for a second, reaching for her phone. She had to share her theory with her team.

**Sharpay:** Hawkmoth is storing up akumas. The last one we fought was September 29th, meaning he likely has two stored up right now. He’ll have a third in two days.

Pollen had been reading from where she sat on Chloé’s shoulder. “A very likely theory, my queen. But you need to try and sleep. I know that this is stressful, but not sleeping won’t help.” Chloé looked at the time. It was well past eleven on a school day.

“I-I’ll try Pollen,” Chloé acquiesced. It had been a little while since she’d last slept well. She was stressed about Hawkmoth and what he could be planning. “Good night, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen,” Pollen responded. Despite her kwami’s best wishes, Chloé didn’t sleep well.

* * *

Chloé woke up the next morning to the sound of her alarm. She was still dead tired, having barely slept, plagued by nightmares of what may occur. Slipping out of bed, she quickly dressed, not putting too much effort into it before making her way to her vanity.

The dark circles she’d had for the past few days had darkened considerably. Sighing, Chloé went through the effort of covering them up. “Unexceptional,” she muttered to herself. This was unexceptional. Pollen gave her a disapproving look at the degradation of herself, but Chloé ignored her. She was too stressed to deal with that right now. Instead, she put her hair up and set about putting on makeup.

With her makeup in place, she walked into the main room of her family’s suite. She called in food for Pollen, unlocking the door to her room for Jean, before sprawling on her couch.

Rather quickly, Jean arrived at the door, knocking on it. “It’s unlocked, Jean,” Chloé called. She heard the door open and Jean setting the tray down on the coffee table next to her.

“Are you alright, mademoiselle?” Jean asked, concern evident in his voice. Chloé nodded from her position on the couch. She didn’t want to worry him.

“I’ll be fine, Jean. Thank you,” she voiced, knowing full well she probably wasn’t fine. Jean seemed to accept the answer though, and started walking away, stopping just before exiting.

“I hope you have a good day today, mademoiselle,” he stated, before leaving the room. Pollen made her way to the tray, Chloé’s eyes following her. They landed on a letter. Reaching for it Chloé picked it up, seeing that it was addressed to her, from her father. Opening it up and reading the contents, her already bad mood soured more. Pollen looked up at her, concerned.

“My queen?”

“Apparently we have a prince, Prince Ali, visiting from a foreign country, doing a fundraiser for children. And my father only saw fit to tell me that I’ll be helping as well on the day that the fundraiser starts,” Chloé sneered. “He couldn’t even be bothered to tell me in person, it had to be through a letter.” She crumbled up the paper, tossing the ball away. Her eyes grew wet, but she pulled back the tears. Crying would just mess up her makeup, which was already unexceptional since she needed so much to cover the dark spots.

Pollen floated over to her, resting on her collarbone and putting a paw on her neck. It helped a little, knowing that Pollen would be with her during the whole ordeal. Holding Pollen close, Chloé sat up. Looking at the teacup showed that Pollen had already finished eating, so she got off the couch to get her bag, and left for school. She hoped it wouldn’t be too bad.

* * *

The first half of the school day went alright, besides the oppressive atmosphere Hawkmoth caused by not releasing an akuma. It wasn’t just Chloé stressing out, and the heroes hadn’t made too many public appearances because they weren’t necessary. Honestly, Chloé wanted to hang out with them again, like she had after Horrificator, but she didn’t know how to ask.

Chloé managed to keep her interactions to a minimum, so she didn’t blow up at anyone. As she made her way back to her room for lunch though, her phone rang out. An akuma alert. She felt Pollen shift in her hair, and she sped up to reach a hiding spot, where she transformed. Following the alert, she touched down back at her school. Her teammates landed next to her. Seeing them helped her feel better, made her feel brighter. It almost always did.

“Good to see you two. The alert says that Jean Duparc has been akumatized,” she told her teammates. “Now, let’s figure this out quickly and deakumatize. It’s taking time out of my lunch.” The trio set off, working quickly to deakumatize the victim.

* * *

Flying back into her room, Chloé dropped her transformation, catching Pollen as she popped out of the miraculous. Checking her phone, she saw that she still had over an hour to eat, so she ordered food for Pollen and herself.

“Good job with that akuma, my queen,” Pollen commented. It brought a small smile to her face.

“Thanks, Pollen,” Chloé said. “But Hawkmoth still has another butterly. And we don’t know when he is going to release it. **If** he is going to release it.” Pollen nodded, then settled down on Chloé’s collarbone.

“Even if Hawkmoth does release another akuma today, my queen, you’ll be able to beat them. You always do,” Pollen reassured. Chloé hoped she was right, but they’d never had to deal with multiple akumas in a day. Still, Pollen’s reassurance helped a little.

A knock at the door signaled that Jean had brought their food. Chloé got up and opened the door, letting Jean set the tray down on the kitchen island. Chloé thanked him as he exited. Pollen descended upon her tea, while Chloé ate much slower. She still didn’t have much of an appetite, but she managed to eat enough to appease Pollen, at least. After she finished, Chloé collected what she would need for the rest of the day, and left for school with Pollen in her hair.

* * *

Of all the days to have Mme. Mendeleiev as the last period, today was not a good one. Behind her, Chloé could faintly hear Rose fangirling over Prince Ali. She mentioned something about a letter, and then a nasty odor spread through the room. Even Mme. Mendeleiev noticed, turning around from where she was lecturing on combustion reactions. Her eyes traveled to Rose.

“Thank you, Rose, but I don’t think our classroom needs extra refreshing,” Mme. Mendeleiev announced, walking towards her. She held out her hand, where Rose set the perfume bottle. “I believe I have also made my policy on cellphone use in class very clear in the outline I provided.” Rose looked guilty, putting her phone and earbuds in Mme. Mendeleiev’s other hand.

Walking towards the front of the room, Mme. Mendeleiev grabbed a beaker, a watch glass, and matchsticks. “Now, this can be a very good lesson,” she said, spraying the perfume into the beaker, the smell causing Chloé to gag. Lighting a match, she took off the watch glass. “Now, watch carefully. Or don’t, you’ll be able to hear it,” she explained with a smirk, flicking the matchstick into the beaker.

As soon as the lit match hit the cloud of perfume, the perfume combusted rapidly. A few people in the class jumped at the sudden explosion. Mme. Mendeleiev, however, smiled. “And that is why you shouldn’t play around with flammable substances. Especially when dealing with combustion reactions,” she stated. She then continued lecturing until the bell rang, dismissing them from school.

As Chloé packed up her stuff, she felt Sabrina tap her shoulder. “Chloé, my father told me to get this to you,” Sabrina explained, holding out a folder. “Your father said he forgot to include it with the letter this morning. Says

Taking the folder from Sabrina, Chloé opened it up. It contained the plans for the fundraiser, including what she was supposed to be doing. And she was only just now getting it. Setting the folder down on the desk, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

After a minute of just breathing, Chloé stood up, grabbing the folder and leaving for the limousine. She walked quickly, wishing that the day would just be over. When she exited the courtyard, there was no limousine in sight. Still, she walked towards the street, standing where it would pick her up.

As she waited, she heard someone yelp behind her, followed by a crashing sound. Before she turned, a red and black blob landed next to her.

Bending down to pick it up she noticed that it was...it was a kwami. “Tikki,” she whispered. At her name, the kwami stirred, flipping over in her hand and looking at Chloé. Looking around, Chloé tried finding the cause of the crash. The person who wielded Tikki’s miraculous. **Ladybug**.

She saw Marinette looking around frantically, before zeroing on Tikki, who was in Chloé’s hand. “Chloé!” Marinette called, quickly walking over.

“You should be more careful with your things, Marinette,” Chloé stated as plainly as possible. She could have a crisis later, when there wasn’t a threat of being akumatized. When she wasn’t about to blow up at someone.

“I, uh, yeah. It’s a doll I just finished,” Marinette stammered out. Chloé held out her hand, allowing Marinette to take Tikki. Marinette slipped her back into her purse. “Uh, thank you for picking h-it up for me.” Chloé nodded, turning back towards the street, ending the conversation. She pulled out the folder containing the plans for the fundraiser.

She reread her what she would have to do, which basically boiled down to standing around and looking pretty. Her father must have ‘forgotten’ that she’s capable of doing more than that. A lot more. “Sure, father. We have Prince Ali doing a fundraiser, and I get stuck doing nothing, instead of being useful, like actually helping him out,” she grumbled to herself. Apparently a little too loud, judging by the voice that spoke up from behind her.

“Did I hear you say you were going to Prince Ali’s fundraiser?” Rose questioned. Chloé turned to face her. She was holding a letter in a pink envelope, looking nervously at Chloé

“Yes, I did,” Chloé bluntly stated. Rose brightened up.

“Can you give this to him?” Rose held out the letter. It stank of the perfume Mme. Mendeleiev had confiscated. Chloé managed to not gag, pushing the letter away.

“No, I can’t. I’m not going to be able to hand the prince a letter from someone that hasn’t been cleared,” Chloé explained as politely as she could. 

“Please? I’m sure that if it comes from you they’ll be fine with it,” Rose pressed on, which was not doing wonders for Chloé’s stress.

“Rose, I am not going to give the prince your letter,” Chloé reinforced.

“Come on, it’s just a lett-”

“I said no! I’m not going to give the prince your stinking letter!” Chloé yelled. She flipped through the folder, ripping out one of the pages and held it in front of Rose’s face. “It says right there that gifts have to go through a process to make sure they are safe, and with the amount of stinking perfume you put on that thing it could be considered a biohazard! So the prince will not be getting your letter through me!” The outburst drew the attention of everyone around her, but Chloé didn’t care. The limousine pulled up at that moment, so she ripped open the door, jumped in, and slammed the door shut.

She felt her hair move, and Pollen pressed against her cheek. After a minute of Pollen pressing into her cheek, comforting her, Chloé processed what she’d done. “Dammit,” she muttered. "And I'm right back to acting like Mother." Pulling her legs up to her chest, she hugged herself.

Pollen sighed into her cheek, pulling away slightly. "It's okay, my queen. You're feeling stressed and were never taught how to properly deal with it," Pollen said, trying to comfort Chloé.

"So what? It shouldn't matter whether I'm stressed or not. I still keep acting like Mother," Chloé responded. She just couldn't control it. Maybe...maybe she couldn't cha-

"It does matter because you don't know how to handle stress properly, my queen," Pollen declared. "And if you don't know how to handle stress properly, you fall back to what you know.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I hurt her,” Chloé argued.

“It does change the context though, and I’m sure Rose will be able to see that. As will everyone else,” Pollen replied. Chloé opened her mouth to argue again, but stopped when the car pulled up to the hotel. Pollen dove back into her hair, pressing against her neck. Chloé stepped out of the car, making her way into the hotel.

Chloé went to her room first. She needed to be more presentable for the fundraiser, and what she wore to school would not cut it. Her makeup also probably needed to be redone. She would need to be perfect for the fundraiser. She needed to be exceptional. She...she was falling back to her mother's mentality.

Before she could start changing, she heard cries from the floors below her. Pulling out her phone, there was no akuma alert. So either this was an akuma that could prevent communication, or something not magic. Either way, it would be good for Queen Bee to show up. Pollen flew out of her hair, looking at her expectantly. “Pollen, buzz on,” Chloé said. Pollen flew into the miraculous, and magic washed over her. It was almost calming at the moment.

Flying out of her room, she made her way around the hotel to where the fundraiser was occurring. That would be the most likely target if the hotel was under attack. When she passed the doorman, he was on one knee, gesturing to the door with a dazed look on his face. The air reeked of...perfume. The same perfume Rose had used. Chloé sped up while pulling out her rapier, texting the group chat about the situation.

Making her way towards the room where the fundraiser was being held, Queen Bee saw more and more people with dazed looks. The stench had also gotten worse. She pinched her nose, breathing through her mouth instead. Finally bursting into the room, she spotted the akuma. She turned around from where she was holding Prince Ali at...perfume-bottle-point. Anger crossed her face, as well as a purple mask.

“How dare you interrupt? I was just about to make Prince Ali mine!” the akuma cried out. She held up the perfume bottle, pointing it at Queen Bee. Just as she was about to spray, though, Chat Noir burst through a window away from the civilians. The akuma turned towards the sound, and Queen Bee dove forward, holding her breath. The akuma could still spray her.

Just as Queen Bee’s hand closed around the perfume bottle, it was ripped from her grasp. The akuma lashed out with her leg, connecting with Queen Bee’s gut and sending her back towards the entrance. It then turned, grabbing Prince Ali and tossing him over her shoulder. With the Prince in hand, the akuma fled.

Queen Bee lay on the ground, stunned and unable to breath properly. This had never happened before. Akumas had been fast, but that reaction time was unusual. And Rose has never been a violent person, why would she resort so easily to attacking like that?

Chat ran over to her, checking her over. “Are you alright, my queen?” Queen Bee shook her head. She held up a finger towards where the akuma had fled. Chat nodded, running off to follow the akuma. Soon after he left, Queen Bee managed to stabilize her breathing. Pulling on her rapier, she opened up the group chat.

**Sharpay:** This akuma is unusual, likely Rose. Be cautious. Ladybug, where are you?

 **shipping lady:** tikki was sick, took her to a healer. identity is still secret. omw to chatton’s location.

 **can’t ship:** akuma is en route to her lycée.

 **Sharpay:** Ladybug, cut her off. She reacts quicker and is stronger than other akumas. She has resorted to violence, which Rose would never do. Something is off with her. The butterfly should be in the perfume bottle. Don’t breath in the perfume.

With all the information communicated to her teammates, she tried standing up. It didn’t work, flopping back to the ground. She rolled onto her stomach, ignoring the pain, and used her wings to lift herself, flying over to the prince’s chaperone. “Don’t worry about the prince, we will get him back safe and sound,” she reassured the worried woman. Then she turned to her father. “I am well aware of how you suppress information about akumas. Explain to this woman what is going on.” Her father obeyed the command, detailing what had been happening in Paris since the beginning of September. Queen Bee chose that moment to fly off.

On her way to the lycée, she stopped by a hardware store, picking up three respirators. Hopefully they could prevent the perfume from affecting them. “I’ll return them like I never used them,” she shouted to the employee she passed on her way out. The miraculous cure would restore them.

At the lycée, she saw the akuma standing on the roof of the library, Prince Ali next to her. Queen Bee’s teammates were nearby, settled down on a nearby roof and waiting for her. She landed next to them, looking at the akuma.

“She made it here before us, we weren’t sure how to proceed,” Ladybug told her. Watching the akuma, she was gesturing wildly to the city, a purple mask covering her face. Then, the akuma raised her perfume bottle towards the sky, releasing pink perfume.

“Put these on,” Queen Bee commanded, holding out two of the respirators.”They might help. We mustn’t get affected by the perfume.” She put on hers, making sure it was tightened properly. When Ladybug and Chat Noir had secured theirs, she laid out a plan. “Ladybug, Chat and I will engage first. You try to tie her up. If you can’t, find a way to trip her up.” A plan set, the three approached the akuma, Ladybug flanking her.

“Come to interrupt me making my kingdom? Well, you won’t be able to stop this princess!” the akuma yelled, leveling the perfume bottle at Chat and Queen Bee, and spraying perfume at them.

The two moved quickly, rushing it towards her. Despite the cloud of perfume that had just been in their way, they were unaffected. The respirators were working. Moving quickly the three fought. Due to the increase in reaction time and strength, the akuma was able to keep up with the two, but only barely. 

Queen Bee heard a faint whirring coming from behind the akuma, and saw Ladybug’s yoyo fly towards them. It wrapped around one foot of the akuma, which hadn’t yet noticed. The string was pulled taught, and the akuma tipped forward, dropping the perfume bottle and moving her hands in front of her to herself.

When the perfume bottle left the hand of the akuma, Chat shot towards it, leaping over the akuma and catching the bottle. He crushed the bottle, catching the butterfly, which was different than normal. The akuma dissolved away, revealing Rose. With the threat gone, the trio removed their respirators.

Queen Bee pointed to Ladybug, then Rose, who sat up at Queen Bee’s feet. Ladybug understood, walking over to explain what was happening and ask her what caused her akumatization. 

While Ladybug did that, Queen Bee made her way to Chat, who was still holding the butterfly. “This is unusual. They don’t look like this,” Chat said. The butterfly was nearly pure black, except for cracks in the wings where purple light was escaping. 

“Purify it, I’ll think about what is happening later,” she stated. Chat did so, setting the butterfly in his pocket. Ladybug then walked over to the duo.

“Rose was akumatized because she wouldn’t be able to tell Prince Ali how much she appreciates what he does for kids. She was also yelled at by Chloé, but doesn’t blame her. Says that Chloé was looking stressed, and that Rose didn’t help by being pushy,” Ladybug told the two. That was a relief for Queen Bee. This akuma wasn’t her fault. “She also asked that we check up on Chloé, since we’ve done so before.” That was less of a relief.

“Cure first, then I need to go return these respirators. You two should deal with the prince and Rose, and then you can check up on Chloé,” Queen Bee said. She hoped they wouldn’t ask why she wouldn’t check up on her with them. Her hopes were answered when her teammates put their hands on her shoulders, and they cast the cure. With everything back to normal, Queen Bee flew off.

* * *

Back at the hotel, Chloé dropped her transformation, catching Pollen. The pain from being kicked had disappeared when the cure was cast, as well as any effects to her body. She walked to the kitchen, pulling out the jar of honey for Pollen. Then, she walked into her room, collapsing on her bed.

Feeling her phone buzz, she opened up the group chat.

**shipping lady:** on our way to check up on Chloé. will you be joining us, Queenie?

 **Sharpay:** No, sorry. If all three of us show up it might stress her out more. I’ll talk to her later.

 **can’t ship:** we’ll miss you, my queen.

Chloé muted her phone, tossing it away before waiting for them on her bed, thinking of what she was supposed to say, what she was supposed to do. Would they comfort her? Would they be annoyed at her? What she did know is that she would need to apologize to Rose. Somehow. That would have to wait till Monday, though.

Tapping at her balcony door caused her to look over, seeing her teammates standing there. “It’s open,” she called out. Ladybug opened the door, stepping in with Chat.

“Rose wanted us to check up on you, Chloé. She said that you were looking stressed today, and that she was pressuring you,” Ladybug mentioned.

“And she was right. You do look stressed, Chloé,” Chat stated. Chloé looked at him, confused. He noticed this, and started listing things about her appearance. “Your hair is up, for the first time in a while. You’re wearing dark clothes, which you usually wear on days you aren’t feeling well.” Chloé examined herself. He was right.

“Would you like to talk about it, Chloé?” Ladybug asked, sitting down on the bed. Chloé sat up, leaning against the headrest of her bed, pulling her knees to her chest.. She could talk to them, that much had been shown multiple times. So she did.

“I...I guess I have been stressed lately,” she told them. “When Hawkmoth stopped sending akumas for a brief period, the heroes stopped showing up, everyone was stressed out about it.” And she didn’t know how to ask them to hang out. “I...I haven’t been sleeping well either, which didn’t help. And just this morning, I find out that I have to help with Prince Ali’s fundraiser. My father couldn’t even be bothered to tell me about it himself, he had to send it through a letter. Then, he ‘forgets’ to give me any information about the fundraiser, I had to get that from Sabrina.” Her voice had raised slightly at the end, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

Ladybug motioned to Chat, who made his way to Chloé’s vanity. He opened different drawers until he found what he was looking for, pulling out makeup remover wipes. He then tossed them over to Ladybug, making his way to sit next to Chloé.

Ladybug opened up the wipes, taking one out to clean Chloé’s face. When she pulled the wipe away, she looked surprised. “Wow, you really haven’t been sleeping well. What about food? Have you been eating enough?” Ladybug questioned. Chloé shook her head. “Alright, Chat, are you free for a little while?” Chat nodded his head. “Good. Chloé, how would you like to hang out with superheroes for a little while? You order food, have an early supper, and go to sleep. And we'll be here to help you destress.”

Chloé had wanted to hang out with them for a while, so she nodded. “Do...what do you guys want? I can order you two food so I’m not the only one eating,” Chloé suggested. The two nodded, throwing out suggestions. Chloé went and ordered the food.

After Jean left and they ate, the trio moved to the couch, Chloé suggested watching JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. She smirked when they both agreed quickly. They didn’t even make it through the first episode before Chloé had to run.

“Get back here, Chloé!” Ladybug yelled. Chloé did not ‘get back here,’ instead making a mad dash for the elevator. She liked living.

The elevator door didn’t manage to close in time. Ladybug stuck her hand in the door, Chat tied up in her yoyo, being dragged behind her. “Well, crap,” Chloé muttered, before being tossed over Ladybug’s shoulder like she weighed nothing. This was not going to be fun. Or maybe it would. Chloé didn’t know, she’d never been tickled before.

When Ladybug made it back to Chloé’s room, she gently set her down on the couch. Chat was set down next to her, still tied up. “Now,” Ladybug said. “Which one of you wants to get kil- I mean tickled first?” Chloé pointed to Chat, who couldn’t point back. “Well, chatton, it seems that you have been volunteered to be my first victim.” Seeing Chat be tickled again was amusing. But when Ladybug finished with Chat and turned to her, that amusement quickly turned to terror.

“Please have mercy,” Chloé requested. Ladybug shook her head, descending upon Chloé.

* * *

When Ladybug and Chat left, Chloé was exhausted. From laughing, from lack of sleep, from planning out how to reveal to Marinette that she knew she was Ladybug. She eventually came up with a feasible plan, one that would help in multiple areas. She’d set it in motion tomorrow. For now, she needed to sleep. She **wanted** to sleep. So she texted her teammates goodnight, and slept. She had a really good night’s sleep.

* * *

The next day came and went without an akuma, leading to another theory from Chloé.

**Sharpay:** Hawkmoth pumped extra energy into Rose’s akuma. That would explain why the butterfly looked like it was breaking. Too much energy and the butterfly dies.

 **can’t ship:** that’s horrible. those poor butterflies. when i released Rose’s butterfly, the cracks were still there. it had trouble flying.

They went back and forth for a little, before Chloé decided it was time to tell Marinette. And maybe talk to Tikki. She was cute. “Pollen, I need to go talk to Marinette. She needs to know that Queen Bee knows she is Ladybug. If...if she doesn’t it would mean more of a power imbalance,” Chloé explained to her kwami. Pollen nodded, so Chloé transformed, flying off to Marinette’s house.

Touching down on the balcony, Queen Bee knocked three times. When the hatch opened up revealing Marinette, Queen Bee started speaking. “Hi, Marinette. Umm, may I...may I come in? There are some things I need to talk to you about,” she said. Confusion found its way onto Marinette’s face, followed by a flash of worry. She nodded, stepping aside to allow Queen Bee in.

Queen Bee hopped down, fluttering her wings to land on the ground next to Marinette’s bed. She then sat down, patting next to her. Marinette flopped down, sitting cross legged. “Okay. First, is a proposition from Chloé. She was thinking of ways to relieve stress for the city, and she came up with something. Since you are a good designer, she was thinking that you could design toys, which she could then have made. They would serve as a constant reminder to Paris that the heroes are still around. Of course, anything made in the heroes’ image would need their permission, but I am willing, and I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir would be too. Thoughts?’

Marinette thought for a second. “How much would I be getting for my designs?”

“Chloé suggested paying royalties. You two can discuss that. Second is...a more concerning topic. And I need you to promise you won’t freak out.” Marinette nodded. Queen Bee took a deep breath. “When Choé was talking about exactly why she recommended you, she, uh...she described a toy that you dropped yesterday. And, uh...there’s an easier way to do this. Tikki, you can come out,” Queen Bee called. A few seconds later, the kwami floated into view.

“Hello, Queen Bee,” Tikki said, waving a paw. Queen Bee waved back.

“Hello, Tikki. Chloé was right, you are cute. How are you feeling, though? Marinette said you were sick in the group chat,” Queen Bee mentioned.

“I’m doing much better, Queen Bee. But nothing I couldn’t handle,” Tikki responded. Queen Bee then turned to Marinette, whose face was blank.

“Marinette? Are you alright?” Queen bee asked, concerned for her teammate. Marinette sighed.

“I don’t know. Does Chloé know that I’m Ladybug?” Marinette questioned. Queen Bee didn’t want to lie to her teammate, so she dodged the question.

“Does it worry you that she might?”

“I...not really? She has been trying to be better, so I don’t think she’d expose me like that if she did. But...I think I need to ask her.” Well, crap.

“You can go ahead and do that. Think about the offer, and...one more thing. The three of us should hang out more. People were stressed we weren’t making any appearances. And...I enjoy hanging out with you and Chat Noir,” Queen Bee said, before standing up. “I’ll be going now.” She then fluttered up to the balcony, flying back to the hotel.

* * *

It wasn’t long before Ladybug showed up on her balcony. Chloé looked at her, putting on her best confused face. “It should be open,” she called out. Ladybug opened up the door, stepping in.

“Hi, Chloé. I just had to ask you a quick question,” Ladybug said awkwardly. “Umm, do...do you know who I am?” And there it was. At least Chloé had prepared an excuse.

“I...yeah. I do. It...after Evillustrator I did some thinking about why you looked so uncomfortable when I talked about being called evil. And...everything just clicked when I compared you and Marinette,” Chloé explained. Ladybug sighed, stepping towards her and muttering ‘Tikki, spots off.’ Ladybug’s transformation dropped in a burst of red light, leaving Marinette and Tikki standing in front of her. Marinette reached into her purse, pulling out a macaroon and handing it to Tikki. “So...so it wasn’t a doll?” Chloé asked, pretending to be confused. Marinette shook her head.

“Chloé, this is Tikki, a kwami. Tikki, this is Chloé,” Marinette said. Tikki waved a paw, and Chloé waved back.

“I, umm. It’s nice to meet you, Tikki. I guess,” Chloé said. “What is a kwami?”

“A kwami is basically a miniature god. We represent ideas. I represent the ideas of chaos and creation,” Tikki explained. Chloé thought for a second.

“So Marinette yeeted a god, and not a doll? How did that even happen? You’re floating right now,” Chloé questioned. Marinette blushed slightly.

“I-I did not y-yeet Tikki! I tripped!” Marinette stammered out. Tikki giggled at her defense.

“I don’t know, Marinette, I went flying. And not of my own volition,” Tikki joked. Marinette put a hand over her heart, gasping dramatically.

“Ouch, betrayed by my own kwami,” Marinette joked back, before turning to Chloé. “I’m still thinking about your proposition. But I’m free right now. Want to watch more Jojo?” Chloé grinned, nodding.

“Sure. You want food?” When Marinette and Tikki both nodded and gave their orders, Chloé phoned it in. When the food arrived, Chloé had Jean set it down at the coffee table, where Marinette was sitting. She had started up the tv, loading up episode 4. The two got comfortable, and started watching.

Three episodes later, Chloé was sprinting towards the elevator. Despite the fact that Marinette wasn’t transformed, she couldn’t escape. “Please have mercy,” Chloé pleaded when Marinette set her down on the couch. Marinette shook her head, descending upon Chloé.

* * *

As Chloé prepared for bed, she thought back on her day. It was one of the first times a weekend had been enjoyable for her in a long time. And it seemed that maybe Marinette didn’t dislike her as much as she once thought. Marinette wouldn’t be that comfortable with someone she hated.

Slipping into bed, Chloé texted the group chat goodnight. She noticed that Marinette had changed her name to 'Zeppeli,' while Chat changed his to 'Dio.' Creation and destruction. It fit well. When she received her teammates best wishes, she set her phone down, and turned off the lamp.

“Goodnight, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen.”

Chloé slept well that night as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, Chloé is coming up with theories about how Hawkmoth's powers work. And they are correct. The way Hawkmoth is using the butterfly miraculous, he has to collect chaotic energy. To produce an akuma that corrupts the user as he intends, four days worth of chaotic energy is needed. However, he can also pump extra energy into it. Seven days worth of energy is the limit before the butterfly...goes poof. Which would have ill effects on Nooroo and the miraculous. The butterflies are a part of the miraculous, an extension of Nooroo's powers. So destroying the butterfly, like a cataclysm, would also be harmful. Another reason it is good that Chat can actually purify them.
> 
> How has Chloé not been akumatized yet? A headcanon I'm using for this is that Hawkmoth isn't able to detect smaller changes in emotion, even if they pile up over time. Gabriel isn't an empathetic or sympathetic person, so he isn't a good match for the butterfly. And because of this, he can only detect large changes in emotion, and thus Chloé hasn't been a target. Yet.
> 
> Marinette tripped because she was concerned for Tikki. She was looking in her purse to see how Tikki was doing when she tripped over people's bags. Which resulted in Tikki being yeeted. Involuntary flight.
> 
> At this rate, Marinette is going to become an anime addict, hehehe.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, especially the fluffy bits. :)


	7. Lady Wifi

Marinette agreed to do the designs for Chloé the next day, showing up with designs already in hand for different toys, clothing, dolls. Since Chloé had already secured permission from the Hive to use their image, she was able to send the designs out to manufacturers. She received the first prototype, one for Ladybug’s yoyo, the day after.

“This is really accurate,” Chloé mentioned to Pollen, opening up the yoyo. Marinette hadn’t skimped on the details, and neither had the manufacturers. She needed to show Marinette.

Setting the yoyo in her bag, she made sure she had everything she needed for Tuesday, including the perfume bottle and letter she had for Rose. It would be easier to apologize with a letter, and the perfume didn’t reek of...whatever that last perfume was supposed to be.

“Do you have everything you need for tomorrow, my queen?” Pollen asked. Chloé nodded.

“This should be everything. What I need to apologize to Rose, the yoyo to show Marinette, and classwork,” Chloé responded, closing up her bag before getting ready for bed. She shot the group chat a quick goodnight before slipping under the covers.

“Goodnight, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen.”

* * *

Walking into school the next morning, Chloé decided that she’d deal with things one at a time. Apologizing to Rose would come first, and she could show Marinette how the yoyo turned out after lunch. Pulling out the letter and perfume, she tossed the yoyo gently into her locker, before walking off and closing the locker. She didn’t hear it click, but that was probably just because of everyone talking in the locker room. 

Inside the classroom was mostly empty, save a few people. Rose was one of the people that was in the classroom, casually leaning on Juleka. Chloé took a deep breath, scaling the stairs to stand in front of her. As she approached, Rose looked up from where she was texting, smiling at Chloé.

“Hi, umm, Rose. I just wanted to give these to you,” Chloé said, pulling the perfume and letter out of her bag. She laid them down on the desk, before walking back down the stairs, sitting in her seat and getting ready for class. A minute later heard Rose giggle, and a gentle citrus aroma made its way over to her. Rose seemed like she enjoyed the perfume. It was a good sign.

More people filtered into the classroom, followed by Mme. Bustier, who started the class.

* * *

As the bell rang to dismiss the class for lunch, Chloé heard a tap on her desk. Rose was standing there, a smile on her face. “I appreciate the letter, Chloé. But honestly, you yelling at me was my fault. You were stressed, and I recognized that, but I still pushed you to try to deliver my letter. And for that I should be apologizing,” Rose admitted.

“Ah, umm, thank you. But my being stressed doesn’t excuse the fact that I yelled at you,” Chloé responded.

“Maybe, maybe not. It does give you a reason, though. And besides,” Rose said, holding out her phone. On the screen was a texting log with Prince Ali. “My akumatization resulted in me getting to meet Ali in person. I also got to help him with the children at the hospital. So it wasn’t an overall bad event for me.” Chloé smiled slightly. That was at least twice that an akumatization had a positive outcome.

“Well, I’m glad you got to hang out with Prince Ali,” Chloé mentioned, standing up. Rose moved to the side, allowing Chloé to slip past her. “Have a good lunch, Rose,” Chloé said as she walked past.

“You have a good lunch too, Chloé. And thank you for the perfume, it smells lovely,” she called out as Chloé exited the room. Chloé smiled to herself at that. She’d managed to apologize to someone, and it didn’t backfire on her like helping Mylène originally did. It was more proof that she could change. And more proof that people were willing to see that she could change.

Her happy mood faded quickly as she entered the locker room and saw her locker wide open. Standing in front of it was Alya, the prototype yoyo in hand, a few people from her class watching as she pulled out her phone.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Chloé screeched, making everybody turn towards her. Alya fumbled with her phone, dropping both it and the yoyo. They clattered against the ground. Chloé stormed up to Alya, pushing past her classmates. “It’s not enough that you insult me, you have to break into my stuff as well?”

“I-I didn’t break into anything, the locker was already open,” Alya stammered out. This didn’t help calm down Chloé.

“So you figured you’d just take a peek and mess with my stuff, huh? And what about all of you, just standing around and letting her?” she roared, turning towards her classmates. They looked away from her, guilt showing on their faces. When no one said anything, she bent over, picking up the yoyo. It didn’t seem like there was any damage.

Standing up straight, Chloé glared at Alya. “You’re coming with me to the principal’s office, Césaire,” she sneered, stalking off. She heard a scoff behind her, but footsteps followed.

* * *

“I’m sorry, Mlle. Bourgeois, but as nothing was broken or stolen, there isn’t anything I can do,” M. Damocles stated. Chloé stared at him, anger likely written on her face.

“The instant Césaire took the yoyo out of my locker, it should have been considered stolen,” Chloé responded.

“But you got the yoyo back, Mlle. Besides, it’s just a toy, you could just buy another.” This was ridiculous.

“What matters is the fact that it was taken out of my locker in the first place!” Chloé yelled. M. Damocles still wasn’t doing anything, so she pulled her phone out. “And I’m sure my father will see it the same way.” M. Damocles looked unsure for a second, before cowing to her wishes.

“Very well. Alya, you will be suspended for a week,” M. Damocles said while turning to Alya.

“What?” Alya shrieked. “This is so unfair. I didn’t do anything! I was going to put it back! This will so be protested.” Alya shot up, looking at Chloé. “I was wrong. You’re not a superhero, you’re a super-psycho.” With that last dig at Chloé said, Alya ran out of the room. Chloé thought for a second at her words, then looked at the yoyo in her hand. Did...did Alya think that she was Ladybug?

“Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous,” she growled, walking out of the office. The limo was already waiting for her, so she got in, closing the door behind her. As it started to roll away from the school, Pollen popped out of her hair.

“Are you sure that was the best course of action, my queen?” Pollen asked.

“Of course it was, Pollen. She shouldn’t have been going through my stuff. What was she even going to...” she trailed off, the memory of Alya taking out her phone returning. Alya had a blog, and one of the threads was all about who the heroes might be. “Oh, kwami. She wouldn’t.” Chloé muttered as she pulled out her phone. Pollen looked confused.

“She wouldn’t what, my queen?” Pollen floated around to rest on her collarbone, looking at the phone. Chloé opened up Alya’s blog, searching for the thread about the superheroes identities.

“Oh, kwami, she would,” Chloé gasped. Alya had posted about a potential lead as to who Ladybug was. “This is bad.” Chloé opened up the group chat.

**Sharpay:** Be on the lookout for a potential akuma. It has been four days since Rose’s akumatization.

With the message sent, Chloé put away her phone. She could hear it buzzing a few times, but ignored it. “Alya suspects that I’m Ladybug. And if she gets akumatized, then...I’ll be her first target,” Chloé murmured. Pollen floated off her shoulder, looking at Chloé with concern. “As soon as we make it back to the hotel room, Pollen, I need you to hide. If Alya does come for me, then we can’t risk her finding you. And...oh kwami there’s going to be another akuma that is my fault.” Pollen nuzzled her cheek, providing comfort. But this meant that Chloé had caused more work for her team.

“My queen, there was likely going to be an akuma today anyway. It’s the fourth day after the last akuma, like you said. And at least this way you can warn your teammates,” Pollen said in an attempt to comfort Chloé. That’s right. She should warn her Hive about this. It meant they could keep a better eye out. Opening the group chat, she warned her teammates.

**Sharpay:** Alya Césaire, the Ladyblogger, is likely to be an akuma victim. She got suspended, and may go after Chloé.

**Zeppeli:** alya got suspended? what for?

Right. Marinette, Ladybug, was Alya’s best friend. Chloé may have just hurt her Hive. She’d have to tell the truth and hope for the best, though.

**Sharpay:** Alya messed with Chloé’s locker. She also recently posted about a potential lead on Ladybug’s identity. She suspects that Chloé is Ladybug.

The limo chose that moment to pull up at the hotel. Pollen dove back into Chloé’s hair as Chloé put her phone away. She stepped out, walking to her room. Inside, she found more packages, likely the other prototypes. Good, she could show those to Marinette as well.

“Pollen, you know where the honey is. Just make sure not to eat it all,” Chloé said. Pollen looked insulted, making an over exaggerated gasp.

“I would never, my queen. I’m not Plagg or Tikki. I have limits on how much I will eat,” Pollen replied. The two laughed, before Pollen darted away to the cupboard with the honey in it. Chloé then pulled out her phone to order food for herself. Before she could press the call button, though, the screen filled with a pink light.

Chloé tossed the phone away in surprise. A cloud of pixels burst out of the screen, solidifying into an akuma. It pulled out a phone of its own, swiping across the screen. A purple disk of light with a pause symbol shot out, striking Chloé. It then swiped at the screen again. A disk with a camera shot out, stopping in front of Chloé

“Good afternoon, Paris. This is Lady Wifi, with a fresh scoop on the identity of Ladybug. I want you all to meet Chloé Bourgeois,” Lady Wifi said to the camera. A purple mask flashed over her face. “And now you all get to see me take her mirac-” She was cut off by the sound of the main room balcony flying open. Chloé couldn’t see what was happening, as she was frozen in place, but the look of surprise told her everything she needed to know. “What? Who are you? I have Ladybug right here!” Lady Wifi yelled.

“Umm, no you don’t. I’m right here,” Ladybug said from behind her. Lady Wifi growled, swiping her screen again. Chloé felt her body start to move again, quickly catching herself. She needed to get all three out so she could transform. As Lady Wifi moved to swipe her phone at her teammates, Chloé ran out of the way, diving behind the kitchen island.

“Get her out of here!” She yelled, peeking her head out from behind the island. Ladybug and Chat Noir seemed to obey, dodging the disks Lady Wifi was making. The two made their way to the door, shooting out and heading for the stairs. Lady Wifi followed them.

When the noise died down, Pollen flew out of the cupboard where the honey was stored. She was licking her paws. Chloé made a mental note to check the honey levels. And put a spoon in there. “Pollen, buzz on,” Chloé said, seeing Pollen rush into her miraculous.

As her transformation finished, Queen Bee shot out of the room and into the stairwell. Lady Wifi was a few floors down, leaning over the banister, phone in hand. She was distracted, shooting discs at her teammates. Perfect for an ambush. Hopping over the banister, Queen Bee allowed herself to fall, aiming to grab the phone while Lady Wifi was still distracted. Just before Queen Bee could grab the phone though, Lady Wifi pulled the phone back, tapping out the screen as if in frustration.

Queen Bee fluttered her wings to slow down, finding herself on the same floor as her teammates. Looking up, she saw Lady Wifi fleeing back up the stairs. Turning back to her teammates, Queen Bee landed next to them. “Her phone seems to need wifi in order to function. The deeper she went, the worse the signal, meaning it wasn’t functioning. Chat, on top of the hotel is a wifi tower. Knock it out, only use cataclysm if absolutely necessary. Ladybug, you’re with me.” With commands in place, her team set about defeating the akuma. Queen Bee grabbed Ladybug’s waist, flying up the stairs to where Lady Wifi had entered.

Stepping through the door, Queen Bee was greeted by the dining hall, where phones were scattered about on tables. Ladybug looked at her, confused. “What’s the deal with the phones?” she asked, starting to walk up to the nearest one.

“Wait, Ladybug,” Queen Bee said, grabbing Ladybug’s wrist. “I think this is a trap, be prepared for Lady Wifi to burst out of the phones,” she whispered into Ladybug’s ear, then let go. Ladybug continued walking forward, picking up the phone. The screen then turned pink. Ladybug let go of the phone as a cloud of pixels escaped the screen. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding the disk that Lady Wifi sent out. A safe distance away, Ladybug grabbed her yoyo.

Lady Wifi swiped her phone again, but nothing happened. It seemed like Chat had taken out the wifi just in time. “What! Why aren’t you working?” Lady Wifi cried, before yelping as Ladybug’s yoyo wrapped around her, pulling her off the table. The phone clattered to the floor, sliding over to Queen Bee’s feet. Queen Bee stomped on it, shattering the phone and ignoring Lady Wifi’s comments. As Lady Wifi dissolved back into Alya, the yoyo that was around her released, shooting out to grab the butterfly that was flying away. Ladybug then walked over to Alya to explain things.

Queen Bee pulled on her rapier, messaging Chat Noir their location. He joined them quickly, allowing them to perform the cure. As the magic of the cure faded, Queen Bee looked at Alya.

“Oh my god, can I get an interview for my blog?” Alya asked, ecstatic. Queen Bee wasn’t interested in that. But she was interested in asking some questions herself. Both as Queen Bee and Chloé.

“I will not be giving an interview. If my teammates want to, that is fine. But I have a question that needs answered first, Alya,” Queen Bee said, voice cold. Alya seemed to stiffen up at the tone. “For one, why are you trying to find out the identities of the Hive?”

“The people of Paris deserve to know who is behind the mask,” Alya replied. “What’s so wrong about trying to figure it out?”

Queen Bee glared at Alya, making her flinch. “What is wrong with that, Alya, is that it puts the lives of me and my team in danger. I expect you to take down that thread, and stop attempting to find out who we are,” Queen Bee commanded. She then looked towards her teammates. “I’ll be going now. If you give her an interview don’t tell her anything that would risk your identities.” With that final order out of the way, Queen Bee flew off. She went to her room to drop her transformation and let Pollen eat, before heading down to the dining room. It was time for Chloé to interrogate Alya.

As Chloé turned down the hall to the dining room, she saw Alya exit the room. She sped up. “Alya!” she yelled, making her turn around. When she saw who called for her, Alya’s face turned to anger, turning back around and running. “Get back here! You don’t get to run away from this!” Alya didn’t stop, making her way onto the elevator. Just before the doors closed, however, Chloé stuck her hand inside, opening them back up. Alya glared at her.

“What the fuck do you want, Chloé?” Alya growled. Chloé glared back.

“I want to know why you decided it was a good idea to mess with my stuff. Why it was a good idea to risk my life, Alya,” Chloé responded. “You were going to take a photo of that yoyo and post it as evidence that I was Ladybug. Do you have any idea what could have happened?”

“Is it really such a big deal? It’s already been proven that you aren’t Ladybug. Why do you even care? You already got me suspended over it,” Alya responded.

“Why do I care? Because if you had taken a photo and posted it, and Hawkmoth had found out, who do you think he’d go after?” Chloé growled. Alya didn’t respond. “He’d go after me. He’d go after the people I love. He’d go after Adrien. Jean. Sabrina. My father. He may even go after the class.” Alya turned away at the mention of Adrien. She at least looked a little guilty. “And what would have happened if I was Ladybug? Then Hawkmoth would have the Ladybug earrings. There’d be no cure. Everything that was damaged would stay that way.” Alya’s expression turned to horror at the scenario. “Would that be worth your little scoop, Alya? The lives of multiple people so you get to say you revealed someone’s identity?”

“No,” Alya whispered.

“Then I recommend you stop jumping to conclusions and think. You have a brain. Fucking use it,” Chloé growled, letting go of the elevator door. The doors closed as Chloé turned around, taking the stairs up to her room. As she entered her room, she called for food. Jean soon arrived, setting the tray down on the kitchen island.

“Is there anything else you need, Mademoiselle?” Jean asked. Chloé thought for a second. There was something she wanted.

“Actually, yes. Could...could you maybe start calling me Chloé?” Jean looked surprised for a second, but then smiled brightly.

“Of course, Chloé. I can absolutely start doing that,” Jean responded. It...it felt really nice to have Jean call her by her name.

“Thank you, Jean. I hope you have a nice day,” Chloé said.

“I hope you have a nice day as well, Chloé,” Jean replied, moving to leave the room.

As the door closed behind him, Pollen moved out from behind the counter. As she started drinking the tea, Chloé was reminded to check the amount of honey she had left. Opening the cupboard, Chloé was appalled. “Hey, Pollen. Can you come here?” she asked, looking at Pollen. Pollen floated over, pretending to look surprised when she saw the cupboard. “Would you care to explain where all the honey went?”

“I don’t know, my queen. I’m just as surprised as you,” Pollen responded. She hid a grin behind her paws.

“Note to self. Don’t leave Pollen alone in the cupboard with honey,” Chloé muttered, ignoring Pollen’s cry of indignation. “‘Not Plagg or Tikki,’ my ass.” Pollen huffed at that.

“Hey, they eat far more than I do, my queen,” Pollen commented. Chloé rolled her eyes, patting Pollen’s head.

“Sure they do. Now, drink your tea. I need to order more honey. And a child lock,” Chloé joked, once again ignoring Pollen’s cry.

As Chloé entered the classroom, she saw Marinette sitting alone, looking sad. She felt a little guilty at the sight. She was part of her Hive. She was the reason Alya was suspended. And she had the power to fix it. Maybe it would change Alya’s opinion of her, at least a little.

Sitting next to Sabrina, she could feel Marinette’s gaze on her. It didn’t feel like a glare though, so she mostly ignored it, focusing on Mme. Bustier as she walked in. Various times during class she could feel Marinette looking at her. As soon as she could, she’d talk to M. Damocles.

* * *

“Are you sure, Mlle. Bourgeois? You were insistent that Alya be suspended earlier,” M. Damocles commented. Chloé groaned.

“Yes, M. Damocles. I am sure. She’s learned her lesson by now. And I want there to be no record of the suspension,” Chloé responded. M. Damocles nodded, so Chloé got up, leaving the office.

* * *

Chloé was stopped at her limo when Adrien ran up to her. “Hi, Chloé. My schedule is free right now, and we haven’t hung out in a while, so I was wondering if you wanted to hang out back at the hotel?” Adrien asked. Chloé was ecstatic. It had been a long time since they’d managed to spend time together outside of school.

“Of course, Adrien. I’d love to hang out with you,” Chloé responded, smiling widely. Adrien opened the door of the limo for her, so she got in first. Adrien followed right after, sitting down next to her. As the limo started driving, they debated what they would do. It was always easy to decide, since they shared the same interests. Well, they always fought on the genre.

When the limo pulled up to the hotel, Adrien shot out. Chloé chased after him. “We are not watching another magical girl anime!” she yelled. Adrien laughed, racing into the elevator. Chloé shot in next to him. “No, Agreste. We’re watching my show this time.” Adrien’s eyes widened at her calling him by his last name. She only did that when she was serious.

“Fine, Chloé, you win. But I get extra snacks for my suffering,” Adrien replied dramatically. Chloé rolled her eyes.

“Deal. You get extra snacks, we watch Attack on Titan. Trust me, you’ll love it. As soon as you get past the trauma,” Chloé said with a smirk. Adrien groaned.

“I don’t get you sometimes, Chloé. Magical girls are so much better,” Adrien commented. Chloé scoffed.

“No they aren’t, Adrien. It’s not even a debate,” Chloé replied. The elevator door opening cut off what Adrien was going to say, as he shot off again. Chloé walked after him, a smile on her face.

She entered the suite to find Adrien sprawled on the couch, limbs everywhere. Chloé smirked. He did the same exact thing she did.

As the food arrived, Chloé heard a light tapping coming from her room. Evidently, Adrien heard it too, as he shot off the couch. “What was that?” he asked. With the events that had happened just that noon, his suspicion was somewhat warranted. But Chloé knew who it was.

“Don’t worry, Adrien. It’s probably just Ladybug. I’m starting a business with Marinette selling toys, dolls, clothing, and the like to help the city know that the heroes would always be present. The prototypes are right over there,” Chloé mentioned, walking into her room and pointing at the boxes. Ladybug was standing on her balcony. Walking over, she opened the unlocked door. It was a good thing Ladybug hadn’t just walked in and dropped her transformation. “I have a guest over, so stay transformed, Ladybug,” Chloé whispered. Ladybug nodded.

The two left her room to find Adrien opening the boxes. He held a replica of Chat’s baton in his hand. “This is so cool,” Adriend commented. Chloé and Ladybug smiled.

“Press the cat paw. It’s supposed to extend the baton,” Chloé stated. Adrien did as she told, and the baton extended, tripling its size. Adrien grinned. Chloé then walked over to her schoolbag, where the yoyo was. Pulling it out, she tossed it to Ladybug. “It functions just like a regular yoyo. The side pops open as well.” Ladybug took out her yoyo, comparing the two. They were almost exactly alike.

“Marinette did a really good job with these,” Adrien said, looking at the two yoyos.

“She did. But back to what we are here for, Adrien, what do you want to eat? Oh, and Ladybug, do you want to join? We’re going to a show. I think you’d like it,” Chloé offered, knowing full well she’d be running away during the first episode.

“Sure, I’d love to join, Chloé. You know what I like,” Ladybug replied, sitting down on the couch. Chloé ordered the food as Adrien started up the show. When the food arrived, Chloé set it down on the coffee table. Adrien was sitting in the middle of the couch, so she took the other side, leaning against the armrest. She laid her legs over Adrien’s lap, and Adrien started the show.

* * *

“Oh no,” Ladybug mumbled. “She has the dead anime mom hairstyle.” Adrien and Chloé stifled a laugh, looking at each other. Chloé would need to run soon.

* * *

Chloé sprinted down the hallway to the elevator, but Ladybugs yoyo shot out, wrapping around her. “Fuck,” Chloé muttered as she was thrown over Ladybug’s shoulder. She was set down on the couch next to Adrien, who looked amused. “Adrien, help me.” Ladybug shot a look at him.

“If you help her, you’ll feel my wrath as well, Adrien,” Ladybug said.

“Sorry, Chloé. You brought this upon yourself,” Adrien apologized insincerely, a smile on his face. Chloé looked at Ladybug, attempting to look guilty.

“Please have mercy,” she pleaded. Ladybug did not have mercy.

* * *

When Ladybug finished tickling her, they agreed to watch a more lighthearted show. Chloé curled up next to Adrien, exhausted from laughing. The three enjoyed themselves, until Adrien had to leave. Ladybug left at the same time. Pollen then came out.

“Did you have fun, my queen?” she asked. Chloé nodded.

“I did, Pollen. It’d been a while since Adrien and I got to hang out. And now I know he’s a traitor,” Chloé responded. “He didn’t even try to help me get away.”

“Well, my queen, you were the one to suggest the show. Same as those other times,” Pollen commented. Chloé gasped, putting a hand over her heart dramatically.

“Betrayed by my own kwami. I am hurt, Pollen,” Chloé joked. “But whatever. It’s time for food.” She quickly ordered in food for her and Pollen. When Jean arrived, he looked happy.

“Did you have fun today, Chloé?” Jean asked. “I could hear you and your friends laughing.”

“I did, Jean. And how was your day?” Chloé responded.

“My day went well, Chloé. Thank you for asking,” Jean said with a smile. “Will you be needing anything else?”

“No, Jean. This should be all. Have a good night,” Chloé replied. Jean made his way to the door.

“You have a good night as well, Chloé,” Jean said as he left the room. She smiled to herself. It really was nice to have him call her by her name.

Pollen and Chloé ate on the couch, discussing the anime they’d watched. It was a good night. It had been a good day, all things considered.

* * *

As Chloé slipped into bed, she opened up the group chat. She was finally going to ask them.

**Sharpay:** Would you guys like to hang out sometime? It’s been a while, and I would like to do it again.

**Dio:** i would love to, my queen. 

**Zeppeli:** of course. we have to watch more FMA.

**Sharpay:** Cool. We can discuss when later, though. It’s time to go to bed. Goodnight, you two.

**Dio:** goodnight, my queen.

**Zeppeli:** night, Queenie. sleep well.

Chloé smiled. Her teammates were the best. Plugging her phone in, she turned off the lamp.

“Goodnight, Pollen,” Chloé murmured, rolling over to pat Pollen’s head.

“Sleep well, my queen,” Pollen responded.

Chloé fell asleep, dreaming of her Hive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Alya did in Lady Wifi is really stupid. Heroes have secret identities for a reason. And she needed to learn why. She needed to know exactly why what she was doing was a bad idea. 
> 
> M. Damocles is weak-willed. He bows down to anyone he believes is in a position of power. And that will be important. Also, invasion of privacy is a big deal. There should be rules against it.
> 
> Miniature gods require a lot of energy. Of course Pollen is going to eat a lot when she can.
> 
> Finally getting some more interaction between Chloé and Adrien. Chloé is in love with Adrien at this point, but knows he only sees him as a friend right now. That will change in the future, as they bond as Queen Bee and Chat Noir.
> 
> I'm going to get to write more of the Hive interacting outside of fights. It will be fun.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)


	8. Hanging Out

When Sunday rolled around, Chloé was ecstatic. The Hive had decided to hang out today, since they were all free for a fair amount of it. And since Hawkmoth was back on the akuma every four day pattern, they didn’t have to worry about their time together being interrupted. 

As Chloé prepared everything she would need, Pollen ate honey from the new jars, this time with a spoon. If Pollen was going to sustain the transformation for a long time, she’d need energy. Which brought up a question.

“Hey, Pollen, if I eat while transformed, do you get energy as well?” Chloé asked. They would likely spend enough time out that they would get hungry.

“I believe so, my queen. But it shouldn’t really be a problem. The energy I get from this honey will be more than enough,” Pollen responded. Chloé looked at Pollen, seeing how many jars were left. None. The answer was none.

“If Tikki and Plagg eat more than you, then I feel bad for Marinette and Chat Noir,” Chloé muttered.

“Feel bad for Chat Noir. He has to deal with camembert. Marinette will only have to deal with cookies, cake, the occasional hard candy. Tikki just likes sugar in general, really,” Pollen commented.

“Ugh, camembert? Isn’t Plagg a cat? Most cats are lactose intolerant.”

“Kwamis can really eat anything, though we do have preferences. As for Plagg, Plagg is...Plagg is Plagg. That’s the best way to put it, my queen.” Chloé snickered at the description. She finished checking that she had everything, then checked the time.

“It’s about time that we go, Pollen,” Chloé mentioned. Pollen nodded, setting the spoon she’d been using in one of the jars. Chloé would need to get more. Again.

Pollen floated over to Chloé, stopping just in front of her face. “Have fun, my queen,” she said, smiling warmly. Chloé smiled as well.

“I will, Pollen. Now, Pollen, buzz on.” As the transformation phrase was said, Pollen flew into the miraculous. Chloé was giddy as the magic covered her body. It was finally time for them to hang out.

When the transformation completed, Queen Bee grabbed the nondescript bag she ordered, which contained her tablet, her phone, a speaker, and some cash. Flying off the balcony, she made her way to the Eiffel Tower. Touching down on the same beam they’d used last time, Queen Bee saw Ladybug already there, a box on her lap. Ladybug looked up, and tapped the box.

“I brought snacks. They’re from the bakery,” she explained, opening the box. Inside were croissants and cookies. They looked really good. Queen Bee smirked.

“They look good. I brought cash as well, just in case we decide we want to have lunch,” Queen Bee mentioned, sitting next to Ladybug and setting the bag down. As she pulled out her tablet and speaker to connect them, Chat landed in front of them, a small cooler in hand.

“I’ve got the drinks,” he said, setting the cooler down in front of them. He popped it open, revealing the various drinks to the two sitting down. Chat then took his place on the other side of Ladybug. They would be able to run away more easily this way. And they would likely need to.

Queen Bee set the tablet on Ladybug’s legs, where they’d all be able to see the screen, then pressed play. The three leaned into each other, getting comfortable to watch the show.

* * *

“Get back here!” Ladybug yelled, throwing her yoyo at Queen Bee again. Queen Bee dodged the throw, laughing. Ladybug’s reactions were always fun. Queen Bee flew away from Ladybug, prompting her to give chase. The two raced across Paris, Queen Bee dodging Ladybug’s throws each time

“Why don’t you try and get Chat, Ladybug? It’ll be easier!” Queen Bee taunted from the air. Ladybug’s face turned to a scowl.

“I’ve already tickled Chatton. It’s your turn, Queenie!” Ladybug responded. Queen Bee laughed. When Ladybug shot her yoyo out again, Queen Bee let it wrap around her. If she kept it up for too long they’d never get back to the show. Ladybug gave a cry of victory, pulling the bee in and tossing her over a shoulder. With her hostage, Ladybug leaped back to the tower. Chat was waiting for them, munching on a cookie.

“Chat, help me,” Queen Bee pleaded jokingly, pretending to struggle against the yoyo’s string. Chat shook his head.

“Nope. It’s your turn to be tickled, my queen,” Chat responded, smirking.

“Traitor,” she mumbled with a smile. Ladybug set her down on the beam.

“I hope you're ticklish, Queenie,” Ladybug said with a smile. Queen Bee shook her head, knowing full well it was a lie. Then, Ladybug cracked her knuckles and started tickling.

* * *

When Ladybug was finally finished, Queen Bee was hurting from laughing. She took a few seconds to get her breathing under control, before sitting up. Ladybug had sat back down next to Chat, and was patting the spot next to her. Queen Bee crawled over, plopping down next to Ladybug, resting her head on Ladybug’s shoulder. Ladybug moved to press play on the show, but was interrupted when her stomach started growling. Queen Bee smirked.

“I guess it’s time to eat,” she said, standing up. She held out a hand, pulling Ladybug up. “We can just leave all this here while we get food.” Opening up the bag she’d brought, she pulled out the cash. “So. What are we getting?” Both Ladybug and Chat shot out suggestions. Together, the three decided on a cafe across the city. The three raced there, Queen Bee coming in first, while Ladybug and Chat tied for second. The wings made her quicker than the other two.

As they entered the cafe, they found that it was mostly empty, which was good for them. People wouldn’t swarm them. The three ordered their food, and Queen Bee insisted on paying. The cashier tried refusing, saying that the three didn’t need to, that saving the city was enough. His refusal was shot down quickly.

The trip back to the tower was slower. They settled back down on their beam, eating and enjoying each other’s company.

* * *

“I’m glad you had fun, my queen,” Pollen said with a smile. Chloé smiled as well, but it was broken by a yawn.

“I think I’m going to take a nap, Pollen. I’d say you know where the honey is, but there isn’t any,” Chloé commented. She slipped into pajamas, laying down in her bed to sleep for a little bit.

* * *

Chloé woke up to a knocking on her balcony. Flipping over, she saw Ladybug standing there. Groaning, she managed to sit up. “It’s open. Like always,” Chloé said, rubbing her eyes. The door opened up, and Ladybug stepped in. She then dropped her transformation.

“Are there any cookies?” Tikki asked as soon as she popped out of the miraculous.

“You’ve had nearly two dozen cookies today, Tikki. I’m surprised my parents haven’t asked me why I’m baking so much,” Marinette responded. Despite that, she reached into the purse that was hanging off her shoulder, pulling out a bag of macaroons. Tikki took the bag, sitting on her shoulder. Marinette sighed dramatically, but was smiling.

“Did you need something, Marinette? I don’t remember you telling me you’d be here,” Chloé said, getting Marinette’s attention. 

Marinette reached into her purse, producing a notebook. “I’m just here to discuss some more designs,” she stated. Chloé slipped out of her bed, walking over to her desk. She grabbed a binder out of it, then left the bedroom. Marinette followed, Tikki still eating macaroons on top of her head.

She sat down at the kitchen, opening the binder. Marinette sat down next to her, and the two started discussing their business.

* * *

“Don’t you need to go home? It’s nearly time for supper,” Chloé commented. Marinette and she had spent a fair amount of time looking over designs, figuring out which ones would be the best. Ladybug had the most, since she was the fan favorite. It made sense, as she was the most amiable of the Hive.

“I told my parents I would likely eat with a friend, since I didn’t know how long this would take,” Marinette said nonchalantly. The answer was a little surprising to Chloé. But...it meant that maybe Marinette considered her a friend now. Which was nice.

“Well, then, what do you want to eat? Since you’re going to be eating with a friend. We still have more to cover about the business,” Chloé stated. Marinette smiled sweetly. It was a nice sight.

“Give me a menu and I’ll decide. All I’ve had before is snack foods. Oh! And we should watch more JoJo,” Marinette responded. Chloé smirked at the suggestion.

“Fucking weeb,” Chloé said with a smirk. She got up from the kitchen island to find a menu for Marinette.

“Maybe. You can blame Queenie and yourself,” Marinette responded. She then told Chloé her order. When their food arrived, they sat down on the couch, watching JoJo.

* * *

After Ladybug left, Chloé called for Pollen from where she was laying on the couch. She floated over from her hiding spot, landing on Chloé's chest.

"I noticed Tikki disappeared for a little while. Did she hang out with you, Pollen?" Chloé asked. Pollen nodded.

"She did, my queen. It was nice to be able to talk to her," Pollen responded, then smiled sadly. "I hope Plagg will be able to join us soon as well."

"Eventually he might be able to. Although if he does, I hope he knows that camembert will  **not** be allowed here. There are other cheeses that smell less...terrible," Chloé commented, drawing a laugh from Pollen. "What about you, Pollen? Do you want any food, or are you good for tonight?"

"I wouldn't mind some tea, my queen," Pollen answered. Chloé pulled out her phone, ordering Pollen's tea. Jean soon arrived, and Chloé let him know that the door was unlocked. Pollen darted away as the door opened.

Jean entered the room, tray in hand. Walking over, he set the tray on the coffee table in front of her, then smiled down at Chloé. "How was your day today, Chloé?" he asked.

Chloé nodded. "I had a lot of fun today. Marinette came over with some new designs. And...she might consider me to be a friend. She didn’t outright say I was, but she alluded to it, " Chloé said with a large smile.

"That's excellent, Chloé. I'm glad you and Marinette are friends now. How is the business going?"

"The first batch is set to hit stores by November. It will be toys and dolls. The clothing will come with the second batch the week after the first. From there we haven’t decided, but we’ll figure it out soon.” 

“Well, Chloé, that is wonderful news. I’m sure people will be happy to have a more constant reminder that the heroes will be there to stop any akumas,” Jean said. “But for now, I believe you need to sleep. You look tired. Will you be needing anything else tonight, Chloé?”

“I don’t think so, Jean. Thanks,” Chloé responded. Jean nodded, heading towards the door.

“Sleep well, Chloé,” he said while exiting the room. Chloé sat up, as Pollen started drinking the tea.

“I’ll get ready to sleep while you drink that, Pollen,” Chloé stated, standing up and stretching. She then left Pollen to get ready.

* * *

Slipping into bed, Chloé opened up her team’s group chat.

**Sharpay:** I had a lot of fun today. I hope that we can do this again sometime soon.

**Dio:** we absolutely should. i’m free the same time next week

**Zeppeli:** i am too. i’ll bring more pastries.

**Sharpay:** I’ll definitely bee there. Sleep well.

**Dio:** oh me kwami is that a pun? Queen Bee just punned, Ladybug.

**Zeppeli:** this is un-bee-lievable. we’ve won, the puns have corrupted Queenie.

**Dio:** this is purr-retty sweet. but what will it mean for the balance? chaos has won

**Sharpay:** That was a typo, not a pun.

**Dio:** dang it. in that case

**Dio:** bee

Chloé rolled her eyes. That isn’t how it worked. She plugged in her phone, turning off the lamp on her nightstand.

“Goodnight, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen.”

Chloé quickly fell asleep, tired from the antics of the day. She did sleep well.

* * *

A week later, the team was hanging out on their usual beam on the Eiffel Tower, back from dealing with an akuma.

“Why does Hawkmoth bother with the four day akumas, anyway? We always take them out really quickly,” Ladybug commented. She opened up her yoyo, releasing the butterfly. Queen Bee shrugged.

“Yeah, Hawkmoth doesn’t seem like the smartest, with how he is misusing the miraculous. But I feel bad for Nooroo. His poor butterflies, especially the one from Princess Fragrance. It was breaking apart. I hope we get more clues as to who he is soon,” Queen Bee responded. The sooner they could rescue Nooroo, the sooner they stopped his suffering. “And we will find him. We will save Nooroo.”

“In the meanwhile, we can roast his sense of fashion. Remember Stoneheart, when he had the butterflies form his head? Dude looked like an egg,” Ladybug joked. The three started roasting Hawkmoth. Maybe if he was watching, he’d just give up the miraculous from humiliation. Sadly, no Hawkmoth appeared.

* * *

When Chloé woke up on All Saint’s Day, she was hopeful. Today was meant to be spent with family. Which meant Father likely wouldn’t be busy. 

Slipping out of bed, she dressed in comfortable clothing. They wouldn’t be going anywhere today, since her father had cut ties with his parents. It would just be her and Father.

She left her room smiling, but when she saw a small box and a letter on the kitchen table, it turned to a frown. Walking over, she picked up the letter. Just as she expected, it was addressed to her. Opening it up, she skimmed it. Then crumpled up the paper. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. Still, she could see Pollen floating in front of her.

“Are you alright, my queen?” Pollen asked. Chloé shook her head.

“No, I’m not, Pollen. Of all the days Father could possibly choose to work, he had to choose today. I...I don’t want to be here right now. Would you mind transforming?” Chloé asked. She didn’t feel like being trapped inside all day. When Pollen nodded, she called for her transformation, flying out of the hotel after grabbing her phone and earbuds.

Crossing Paris, she found herself at the Eiffel Tower rather quickly. It had become her Hive’s spot. Of course she would find her way there.

Sitting down in her usual spot, she pulled out her phone, opening up her playlist with Jagged Stone’s music. She needed something to fill the silence. She needed something to pass the time, at least till tomorrow. The Hive would be hanging out again. It was their routine. Sunday was the day they would meet, mess around.

She felt her phone buzz on her thigh. Opening it up, she saw that it was Chat messaging the group chat.

**Dio:** are you alright, my queen? you’re at our usual hang out spot, and it isn’t sunday

**Sharpay:** I’m fine, Chat. Just couldn’t stand being inside alone today.

**Dio:** you want company?

**Sharpay:** Aren’t you going to spend the day with your family?

**Dio:** nah, father is working, so i’m alone as well.

**Sharpay:** In that case I’d love some company.

Within minutes Chat Noir landed on their beam. Queen Bee smiled at him as he walked over, plopping down next to her. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

“So...what’s up with your family, Chat?” Queen Bee asked. Chat sighed, leaning his head on hers.

“Just the usual stuff. Father is too busy working to spend time with me. Nothing I’m not used to. He’s always been reclusive, but after my mom died he’s been more so. What about you, my queen?” Chat responded. Queen Bee felt a sense of familiarity at Chat’s story, but she ignored it.

“Pretty much the same. My father left me a note and a gift, explaining how he had ‘work.’ My mother isn’t in France, so it was just me and Pollen. And since I didn’t want to stay inside, I decided to transform and come here,” she answered.

“Well, you want to run around a little? I’ll race you to the Louvre,” Chat said, standing up. Queen Bee smirked.

“I think we need to increase the stakes a little. When I win, you’ll have to buy lunch tomorrow,” she stated. Chat grinned.

“When you lose, I get to choose the next show we watch. We are living a magical girl anime, we are watching one,” Chat said, causing Queen Bee to groan.

“What is it with people and magical girl anime?” Queen Bee questioned. “Whatever. You have a deal, Chat. I hope you enjoy the taste of defeat.” Holding out a hand, shook on their bet. When their hands parted, Chat shot off of the tower. “Wha-cheater!” Queen Bee cried, flying after him. She managed to catch up to Chat quickly, flying next to him. The look of utter dismay on his face caused Queen Bee to laugh, before shooting off, taking the lead from him.

She was sitting on the top of the glass pyramid when Chat made it to the Louvre. “Took you long enough, Chat. And lunch is on you tomorrow,” she taunted, standing up and flying down to him.

“How are you so fast? Cats are supposed to be faster than bees,” Chat stated. Queen Bee thought for a second.

“Magic,” she deadpanned, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible. Chat’s exasperated expression, though, reduced her to giggles. Chat joined in her laughs soon after.

When their laughter died down, she decided to give the real answer. “Yeah, technically cats are faster than bees. Ladybugs are faster than both. But since my role is to gather information and relay it, as well as plan things out, I need to get around faster. So, you know. I get more of a speed boost,” she explained.

“Ah. I guess that makes sense. And you're also strong enough to lift people while flying, you did that with Jagged. Can you take me for a lift?” Chat asked with a grin. Queen Bee nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist. Then, they were off, flying through the air.

* * *

“That was claw-some. I’ve never been on a rollercoaster, but I imagine that must be what it feels like,” Chat said as Queen Bee deposited him on their beam.

“Yeah, flying is awesome. I wonder if I could carry both you and Ladybug, though,” Queen Bee responded. She probably could, neither weighed all that much.... “I probably could, which is concerning. Do you eat enough, Chat?” They’d been concerned about how much they ate, now it was her turn.

Chat looked away at her question. “I have a strict diet, I can’t break it too much,” he answered. Queen Bee frowned. Their transformations were only mostly powered by the miraculous and kwami, their bodies had to provide some energy. Queen Bee pulled out her phone.

**Sharpay:** Bring extra pastries tomorrow. Our cat needs to eat more. Also, he’s paying for lunch tomorrow.

**Zeppeli:** i’ll make sure i do. why is he buying us lunch?

**Sharpay:** Because he is slow. We raced to the Louvre, he cheated and left before me, and still lost.

“Ladybug is bringing extra pastries tomorrow,” Queen Bee stated. Her phone buzzed, so she looked at it. Ladybug had sent another message to the group chat. Queen Bee noticed the time as well. “She’s also roasting you for cheating. And, sad as I am to say it, it’s probably time we split. People might notice if we’re gone for too long,” Doubtful, but if there was a chance....

“Doubtful, but I guess it would be a good idea. Nat-uh, my father’s assistant might notice if I’m gone,” Chat agreed. Queen Bee noticed the slip, but didn’t press on it. She didn’t want to pressure her team too much.

“Thank you for joining me, Chat. I enjoyed it,” Queen Bee thanked, before jumping off the beam and flying away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” she heard Chat yell. It made her smile. She would be with her Hive tomorrow.

Landing on her balcony, she dropped her transformation. Pollen flew out of the miraculous, Chloé catching her with a hand. “Let’s get you some food. It wasn’t as long as on Sunday’s, but it was still a fair amount of time,” Chloé said, walking out of her room. The box from earlier was still there. Chloé ignored it, pulling out her phone to order some tea. When her stomach growled, she figured she’d order something for herself as well. It was a little late for lunch, but she could pass it off.

While she was waiting for the food to arrive, Chloé turned her attention to the box on the island. It was small, but knowing her father it was likely extremely expensive. She felt Pollen land on her shoulder as she opened it up to find earrings.. Chloé sighed. “Do you not like them, my queen?” Pollen asked. She floated off of Chloé’s shoulder, examining the earrings. “They look really nice.”

“Pollen, my ears aren’t pierced,” Chloé responded, pushing her hair back from one of her ears, revealing the lobe. Pollen frowned. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a knocking at the door. Jean was here with food. Pollen darted to hide while Chloé stood up to let Jean in, closing the box.

When Jean set the tray on the island, he smiled at her gently. “How has your day been, Chloé?” he asked.

“It’s gone pretty well. I...I went out with a friend, since Father couldn’t be here,” Chloé answered. Jean frowned. He turned to the box that was on the island, opening it up. The frown deepened.

“Is your father aware that your ears aren’t pierced?” Jean questioned, pulling out one of the earrings. Chloé shrugged.

“You’d think that, since he was the one that told me not to. Something about not wanting his ‘princess’ to ‘be in pain,’” Chloé grumbled. Jean looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Well, Chloé, how would you like to get them pierced? A tattoo parlor I frequent does piercings,” Jean mentioned, setting the earrings down. Chloé raised an eyebrow.

“You have tattoos?” she asked. Jean unbuttoned one of his sleeves, rolling it up his arm. Wrapped around his arm was a pair of winged snakes. Alongside them was the planet symbol of Mercury. “That is so cool,” Chloé murmured, examining the snakes. When Chloé stepped back, Jean rolled his sleeve back down.

“I’m glad you like them, Chloé. I can give you some time to think about my question. For now, will this be all you need?” Chloé nodded, so Jean started walking towards the door. “Have a good rest of the day,” he said before leaving the room. Pollen darted out from her hiding spot as Chloé looked at the earrings.

“Hey, Pollen, if I were to get my ears pierced, would they show up in my transformation? If Queen Bee gets her ears pierced at the same time I do it might seem suspicious,” Chloé commented. Pollen nodded.

“It might take a little more energy, but I should be able to hide your new piercings, at least until you decide you don’t want to anymore. Are you thinking of getting them pierced?” Pollen asked. Chloé hummed an affirmation, before sitting down to eat as well.

* * *

When Chloé ordered supper that night, she told Jean her decision. Jean had a day off the following week, so the two could go together to get her ears pierced. It made Chloé happy. It was something she had wanted a while ago, but she had stopped thinking about it when her father didn’t want her to. And now she was able to do it.

“I’m glad you’re finally able to do this, my queen,” Pollen said as Chloé slipped into bed.

“So am I, Pollen,” Chloé murmured tiredly. She opened her phone up to the group chat to say goodnight.

**Sharpay:** Goodnight, you two. I look forward to tomorrow.

**Zeppeli:** i’m making extra pastries for tomorrow, i hope you two like them. sleep well, Queenie.

**Dio:** goodnight, my queen.

After plugging in her phone and turning off the lamp, Chloé flipped over, facing her kwami.

“Goodnight, Pollen,” she murmured.

“Sleep well, my queen,” Pollen responded.

She dreamed of her teammates, of what they would do tomorrow. She did sleep well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really just a filler chapter, but since the Hive agreed to hang out last chapter, I felt the need to write it.
> 
> Gabriel sucks. As both Hawkmoth and a parent. He just...he either looks like a cockatoo or an egg. And the akumas. Seriously. Dude calls himself a fashion designer.
> 
> More Chat and Queen Bee interaction. Also, the tidbit about speeds is true. Ladybugs have been recorded reaching speeds of 37 mph. Housecats can manage 30 mph. And bees...the fastest bee-like species, the Asian Giant Hornet, can reach 25 mph. Honeybees can reach about 20. Others aren't as fast.
> 
> I'm fairly certain only five characters in ML have their ears pierced. Maybe not even that many. Mme. Bustier and Nadja Chamack, their earlobes can be seen to be pierced. Audrey has earrings as Heart Hunter, so she might have ear piercings as well. Marinette can obviously wear the Ladybug miraculous, so her ears are pierced. Adrien is also shown with the Ladybug miraculous in Reflektdoll, but it's a little confusing. The earrings Marinette gives him before Juleka is akumatized are clipped on, but the miraculous are studs and he can wear them. And Gabriel doesn't seem the type to let him wear earrings, so I don't know what's going on there besides magic. Finally, Alix has piercings in the future.
> 
> Coming back to say I totally lowballed that. From what I can see of the main cast, we have: Future Alix, Anarka, Audrey, Caline, Claudie Kanté, Ella, Etta, Juleka, Lila, Luka, Marianne, Marinette, Nadja, and Penny. There are probably others, but a lot of the times their ears are covered, so it's hard to tell.
> 
> Anyways, Chloé doesn't have her ears pierced. She will get them pierced, though, and Jean will be there with her. Yay!
> 
> The tattoo that Jean showed Chloé is meant to represent the Caduceus, Hermes' staff. The symbol that is with them is ☿, which represents Mercury's winged helmet as well as the Caduceus.
> 
> Why does Jean have tattoos? Because it's self-indulgent for me, someone who wants tattoos but doesn't like pain and so will probably never get one, and because it is a way that he can express himself while remaining inconspicuous. Tattoos can easily be hidden if necessary, especially along certain parts of the body.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was certainly a pleasure to write. :)


	9. Guitar Villain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you goes to Chaos_Bunny for their fanart based on the conversation I had with NightwingSavage about Chloé's piercings and tattoos. The fanart can be found at https://www.deviantart.com/myrve/art/The-Queen-needs-piercings-and-tattos-857993186

Walking into the hotel after school Thursday, Chloé was buzzing with anticipation. She raced up to her room as fast as she could, eager to drop off her school supplies so that Jean and she could head to the tattoo parlor. Plopping her school bag on her bed, she grabbed her purse, opening it up for her kwami. Pollen darted into the bag, and Chloé closed it, before rushing back down to the lobby to wait for Jean.

Entering the lobby, she found that Jean was already there. Instead of his standard suit, he was wearing a waistcoat, the sleeves of his button-up shirt rolled up past his elbows, clearly exposing some of the tattoos on both of his arms.. His hair was slightly messier, no longer in a comb over.

As she walked up to him, he smiled at her. “How was school, Chloé?” he asked, bringing a smile to Chloé’s face.

“It went well today. What about you? How has your day off been?” Chloé responded as they walked to leave the hotel. Leaving the building, they were met with cold air. Chloé pulled her coat closer to stave off the cold.

“My day has been swell, Chloé,” Jean replied. Reaching his car, Jean pulled open the passenger side door for her, allowing her to climb in first, before making his way to the other side. “Are you ready to get your ears pierced?” he asked Chloé as he started the car.

“I am ready. I was ready 5 days ago,” she mentioned. Jean shot her an amused look, before backing out of his spot and starting on their way to the tattoo parlor. They stayed mostly silent on the ride there, jamming out to Jagged Stone. They soon were stopped again, having pulled up to the parlor. Chloé stepped out of the car, looking up at the name of the place. Narcissus: Art Corporel et Piercings. She looked at Jean, who was stepping around the car, before joining up with him and walking into the store.

At the sound of the bell jingling, the woman at the counter looked up, smiling brightly. She stood up, walking around the counter to greet them. What surprised Chloé was when the woman enveloped Jean in a big hug, picking him up off the floor. When she set him down, she turned to Chloé and stuck out a tattooed hand. “Hello, you must be Chloé. Jean has told me a lot about you,” the woman said. Chloé tentatively returned the handshake, and her confusion must have shown on her face. “Ah. I’m Iris, Iris Abreo. I’m the owner of Narcissus, and I do tattoos and piercings. Most of what you see on Jean’s arms were done by me,” Iris explained, pointing at Jean’s exposed forearms.

During the explanation, Chloé examined Iris more closely. She was a tall brunette, standing almost a full head over Chloé, the same as Jean. She was covered in tattoos of flowers and snakes, coiling around her arms, blooming across the top of her chest. Her face was clear of tattoos, but there were many piercings. Eyebrows, lips, nose. And her ears were covered in them. When Chloé reached the earlobes, she couldn’t wrap around what was up with them. “What’s with your earlobes?” Chloé asked. Iris smiled, leaning over to give Chloé a better look.

“This is a plug, sweetheart. I stretched my lobes out to fourteen mm. Took a little while, too,” Iris said, before straightening up. “Now, while I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about me, you’re here to get your lobes pierced. Let’s sort that out, then we can chat. Would that be alright, sweetheart?” Chloé nodded, so the three walked to the counter, discussing what Chloé would be getting.

* * *

Chloé looked at herself in the mirror, taking in the onyx and gold top she had chosen with the titanium post. She looked at Iris, smiling broadly. “I love it,” she said, Jean and Iris matching her smile.

“You look lovely, sweetheart. Let’s wrap this up, then we can continue talking,” Iris stated, walking out of the booth where they’d done the piercing. Chloé followed her out, Jean walking beside her.

* * *

“So what’s the story behind the parlor’s name?” Chloé asked from her spot on a chair. Iris was on a break so the three had migrated to a lounge in the back of the parlor. Iris was laying down on a couch, head on Jean’s lap.

“I chose the name because of the flower. The narcissus represents self-love in the language of flowers, and that’s what tattoos and piercings are supposed to be about, at least to me,” Iris explained. “Every time someone walks into my shop, I want them to walk out loving themself just a little more. For me, that is what body art is for. To help people enjoy who they are. Just look at me. My tattoos and piercings are all things I wanted, and each one helps me to enjoy who I am.” Chloé could see her point. She’d be walking out enjoying how she looked a little more. 

“Hm...what other piercings would look good on me?” Iris laughed lightly at the question, turning her head slightly to look at Chloé.

“Come back when your lobes are finished healing and we can discuss more, sweetheart. I’m not doing more on you yet. I need to know that you’ll take care of your piercings,” Iris chided.

“Of course I’ll take care of them, Iris,” Chloé responded. “You told me exactly how, I’m going to make sure they heal properly.”

“I know you will, sweetheart. Still, discussing other piercings **will** have to wait. It’s getting late, and you probably should be getting back to the hotell,” Iris mentioned, sitting up and getting off the couch. Jean and Chloé stood up as well, following her back out of the lounge. She walked them to the door, planting a small kiss on Jean’s cheek before looking at Chloé. “I hope to see you again soon, Chloé.”

“I’ll be back as soon as these are healed, Iris. Maybe sooner,” Chloé said, before exiting the parlor. Jean followed a few seconds after, joining her in the car. He drove her back to the hotel, walking her into the lobby.

“Have a nice rest of your day, Chloé,” Jean said as he exited the building. Chloé smiled, before walking up to her family suite. As she entered, Pollen shot out of the purse, eager to see Chloé’s ears.

“Oh, you do look lovely, my queen,” Pollen exclaimed. “It’s a shame they might reveal your identity right now, they’d really suit you when transformed.” Chloé chuckled.

“Maybe after they aren’t so new, so that Marinette doesn’t connect the dots,” Chloé stated. “Right now, though, I think it’s time to eat, then get started on my new routine.” Pulling out her phone, she called in food for herself and Pollen.

* * *

Walking into class the next day, Chloé had her hair in a half-up half-down style, keeping her hair off of her ears. An added bonus was that people could see her new piercings. Adrien was the first to notice. He stood up from his desk, approaching her. “You were able to pierce your ears, Chloé? You look great with them,” Adrien said. Chloé felt her cheeks start to heat up.

“Thanks, Adrien. Jean took me to get them pierced yesterday,” Chloé responded, moving with Adrien to sit at her desk.

“Oh, Jean went with you? Where did you go?” Adrien asked.

“We went to a tattoo parlor called Narcissus. Iris, the woman who pierced my ears, was so nice,” Chloé commented. Adrien was about to say more, but the bell rang and Mme. Bustier walked into the classroom, so he walked back to his seat. Chloé pulled out the stuff she needed for class, following Mme. Bustiers instructions.

* * *

The next few weeks passed quickly. The Hive’s hangout location changed to a conference room at a public library, keeping them out of the cold. In that time, Chloé’s piercings had also healed up. Which is why, on the Sunday before Christmas, three days after her second lobe piercings, Queen Bee showed up to the library with her first piercings. Needless to say, Ladybug and Chat Noir were surprised.

“Oh my kwami, Queenie, you look gorgeous with those!” Ladybug squealed with delight after the initial shock passed. Queen Bee blushed at the comment.

“Absolutely bee-eautiful,” Chat Noir added from where he was laying across Ladybug. Queen Bee still didn’t understand how he was comfortable like that. She didn’t care, though. Instead, she motioned to him to sit up, allowing her to sit next to Ladybug. As soon as she sat down, Chat was laying again. He was so warm. Honestly, warmer than any human should be. She’d have to ask Pollen about that later.

With her sitting down, Ladybug started up the show. Queen Bee snuggled up closer, combatting the somewhat cold air of the library. She felt Chat shift as well, then heard a low rumble come from him. Another thing she’d have to ask about.

* * *

“Hey, Pollen, how come Chat Noir is so warm? And why does it feel so much colder this winter than others?” Chloé asked her kwami at supper. Pollen looked up at her from where she was drinking tea.

“That would be because of the miraculous, my queen. Long term use comes with small side effects. Chat Noir’s body temperature is rising, becoming more like a cat’s. Your’s is...well, insects are cold-blooded, and aren’t able to maintain a constant body temperature. So...the cold affects you more now,” Pollen explained. Chloé thought for a second, realising a glaring issue that could come into effect.

“Pollen, don’t insects also hibernate?” Chloé questioned. Pollen’s eyes darted away. “Pollen, is that why it’s harder for me to wake up in the morning? And why I fell asleep on Ladybug today?” Pollen nodded.

“I don’t believe it will be too much of an issue, my queen. As long as you don’t stay outside in the cold too long, you won’t be in any real danger. And when you transform I can protect you from the worst effects of the cold, so you won’t fall asleep unless you’re comfortable,” Pollen commented. Chloé nodded her head, then pulled out her phone to text the group chat.

**Sharpay:** So, apparently the miraculouses come with side effects.

 **Zeppeli:** you’re just now noticing, Queenie? i already had trouble waking up. now, because ladybugs hibernate, i can barely wake up in the morning. the number of times i’ve been late....

 **Dio:** at least you don’t purr, my lady. i can barely control it. and when i’m with my friends? i manage to catch myself before they do, but still. at least i don’t have to worry about that with you two

 **Sharpay:** Was that what the rumbling during the show was?

 **Dio:** oh, you noticed? you slept through most of it. i was purring for a while.

 **Zeppeli:** and she looked adorable when she slept.

 **Dio:** yes, she did. i wish i could have taken a picture, because you two looked cute. but alas, i was too busy taking in the view.

Chloé felt her cheeks start to heat up again. The two had always been flirty, but now they were doing it more and more often. They were learning. At least they weren’t puns?

**Zeppeli:** maybe next time. pictures last longer, and then Queenie would be able to see what we see.

Chloé flushed harder, putting up her phone. She looked at Pollen, noticing the shit-eating grin on her face, which caused her to groan. “What’s that look for, Pollen?” she asked.

“Nothing at all, my queen,” Pollen said. Chloé narrowed her eyes at her, which simply made Pollen giggle and turn back to her tea. Chloé took her example, turning back to her food. She finished up quickly, before cleaning her piercings and heading to bed.

* * *

The year closed fairly quickly after that, bringing along a January. Hawkmoth had decided to change up methods again, since no akuma had been released after Christmas. But now Chloé knew what was going on, so she wasn’t as stressed out. And neither was her Hive.

The first Friday of January, Chloé was helping the front desk. She heard a small yelp, which drew her attention to the doors of the lobby. There she saw Fang, a thick coat wrapped around him, dragging Jagged Stone and Penny inside. Chloé raised an eyebrow. “Hello, M. Stone. Isn't it a little cold to be bringing Fang to Paris? Crocodiles can’t make their own warmth,” she commented. With the low temperatures, it probably wasn’t the best idea.

“Ah, Chloé. It’s good to see you again, girl,” Jagged responded while walking up to the desk. “And it might be cold, but that’s what the coat is for. It’s a specially made heated coat, just for Fang.”

“Huh. Well, I assume you’re here to get a room. What’s the occasion?” Chloé asked while setting up the same room he had last time.

“I’ve got a meeting with my producer, gonna be here for a while to get some things cleared up. He’ll be about midday today. I’ll need him sent up to my room,” Jagged stated. Chloé nodded at his request, making a note before handing him the key to his room.

“It’s the same one that you used last time you used in September. Would you like me to show you up?” Jagged nodded, so Chloé got up from her seat, making her way to the elevator. When she entered, she saw Jagged take note of her ears.

“Oh, nice, girl. You got your ears pierced. They look totally rockin’. Where’d you get them done?” Jagged asked.

“I got them done at Narcissus, a tattoo parlor,” Chloé replied. She saw Penny smile at her.

“You should take me there sometime. I’ve been considering getting more piercings, myself,” Penny commented.

“Well, how long are you going to be in Paris? I occasionally go on Thursdays with Jean to talk to Iris, the owner. She’s the one who did my piercings.” Chloé said. Chatting with Iris was always fun, even when she wasn’t getting piercings. Iris had a lot of fun stories about different tattoos she’d given, especially Jean’s. “Will next Thursday work?”

“Next Thursday will definitely work, Chloé,” Penny confirmed.

“Cool, I’ll have Jean tell her you’ll be coming in,” Chloé stated. The elevator then dinged, the doors opening up to let them out. Chloé showed them to the room, just like she did last time. While Jagged opened the room, Chloé squatted down to pet Fang. “Will you be needing anything else today?” she asked.

“This should be all, girl. Have a nice day,” Jagged replied.

“You too, Mon-” Chloé was cut off by Jagged.

“Actually, I was wrong. Just call me Jagged, girl. None of this ‘Monsieur Stone’ is needed anymore,” Jagged ordered. Chloé was taken aback for a second.

“O-of course, Jagged. But why, exactly?” she asked.

“Because I want you to, girl,” Jagged answered. Chloé smiled at how casual he was.

“Okay. Have a nice day, Jagged,” Chloé said, before walking back to the elevator and heading down to the lobby. She’d fangirl later, right now she had work.

* * *

The next day, while helping the front desk, she was surprised to see Marinette enter the hotel alongside Jagged’s producer, Bob Roth. She looked somewhat nervous. “What are you doing here, Marinette?” Chloé asked. Marinette’s eyes flicked to Bob Roth.

“I was commissioned to design Jagged Stone’s next album cover. Bob Roth and I were just about to show it to him,” Marinette mentioned.

“Ah. He’s in the same room as last time, so you might as well just head on up,” Chloé stated. Marinette nodded, walking to the elevator alongside Bob Roth. 

A few minutes later, Marinette came down escorted by Penny. “How’d it go, Marinette?” Chloé called out. Marinette pursed her lips, walking up to Chloé with Penny.

“Well, Bob Roth lied to me, said that Jagged had a new style. At least Jagged is letting me do it again,” Marinette said. Penny put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder.

“You’ll do great, Marinette. That’s why Jagged asked for you specifically,” Penny reassured. Marinette brightened up a little.

“I’ll do my best, Penny. I’m going to go get started on it, and I’ll get it to you asap,” Marinette stated before racing off. Penny chuckled at the sight, before turning to Chloé.

“Thank you for hooking us up with her, Chloé. We’d never have known about her if it weren’t for you,” Penny commented.

“Of course. She’s a really good designer. Why do you think I commissioned her for the sunglasses? And the designs for Hive Merchandising?” Chloé asked with a grin. “Her designs were spot on, and they’ve really helped relieve some of the stress in the city. People have a constant reminder of their heroes because of her. Paris has a lot to thank her for.”

Penny smiled at her gently. “Well, I’m sure the city thanks you as well, Chloé, considering you were the one that started the business,” Penny mentioned. “Now, I need to get back to Jagged. Have a good afternoon, Chloé.”

“You too, Penny,” Chloé responded as Penny walked back to the elevator. The doors opened up, revealing a disgruntled Bob Roth, who nearly bumped into Penny. Bob quickly stepped past her, walking up to the interviewer he had warned Chloé about. He put on a mask of happiness, and started the interview. Chloé decided to listen to it.

* * *

Very early in Bob started lying, saying things about how Jagged was ‘modernizing’ and that he’d do a concert with ‘M. XY.’ It was so annoying that Chloé decided to head back up to her room. As she entered, Pollen floated out, observing the sour look on Chloé’s face.

“Are you alright, my queen?” Pollen asked. Chloé grimaced and rolled her eyes.

“I see what Marinette meant by Bob lying. Jagged would never do a concert with XY. Their styles of music clash. If you can even call what XY produces music. Not to mention how insulting to even insinuate that Jagged needs to change up his style. The guy is a rock legend, not a pretty boy wannabe,” Chloé ranted as she sat on the couch. She could feel herself wiggling in agitation at the end, so she looked at Pollen. “Why am I starting to wiggle?” Chloé asked, raising an eyebrow. Pollen burst out laughing, so Chloé glared at her. “Are you sure Tikki and Plagg are the chaotic ones?”

“Hey!” Pollen cried out indignantly, looking offended. Chloé narrowed her eyes, prompting Pollen to explain. “Your wiggling is because bees communicate some things through movement, my queen. They literally dance. So...you wiggle.”

Chloé sighed. “Could be worse, I guess,” she admitted. She reached for the remote to the tv, but heard a roar coming from the street, accompanied by the sound of an electric guitar. She looked at Pollen, who nodded. Chloé called for her transformation, before messaging her Hive and flying out of the hotel.

* * *

Following the sounds of the guitar, Queen Bee made her way to the concert hall where XY was supposed to be performing later that night. If XY was the target, then with the guitar, the akuma was probably...Jagged. She pulled on her rapier to open up the group chat, starting to message her team, when a roar sounded from behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a dragon. Flying directly at her. “Oh shit!” she cried as she darted out of the way of the dragon’s maw, before flying to the ground, looking for a spot to stay safe and message her team.

**Sharpay:** The akuma is Jaggasdlfn ;askl dhjf

 **Zeppeli:** are you alright, Queenie? where are you?

 **Sharpay:** Concert hall where XY is performing, Jagged is the akuma, he has a fucking dragon.

 **Dio:** oh shit, omw, be there asap.

 **Zeppeli:** ditto

She waited for her team, eager to not come face to face with a dragon alone. Or at all, if possible. Hearing the whirring of a yoyo and the clack of a baton hitting the ground, Queen Bee turned around. “XY is the target. I don’t know why, though. We can figure that out later. What I know is that the akuma plays the guitar and has a dragon. I wasn’t able to get much else,” Queen Bee said.

“When he plays, a beam shoots out. People caught by the beam start dancing,” Chat piped up. “I saw it on my way here.” Queen Bee nodded.

“We get XY out. Avoid the beam he shoots out. We can gather more information in the meanwhile. And avoid the dragon, I don’t want either of you getting chomped,” Queen Bee commanded. Her teammates nodded, and the three raced out from where they were hiding. They ran into the concert hall, hearing the occasional sound of guitar, as well as Jagged yelling for XY. Racing backstage, Queen Bee caught the attention of one of the stagehands. “Where is XY? There’s an akuma after him, and we need to find him,” she stated.

“M. XY is at the tv station, doing a live broadcast,” the stagehand said. “He’s being interviewed by Alec Cataldi.”

“Thanks. Chat, Ladybug, let’s go. Keep an eye out for the dragon,” Queen Bee ordered, flying back through the concert hall, followed by her teammates. They managed to make it to the tv station without drawing the attention of the dragon, which was still roaring over the concert hall. Meaning Queen Bee had time to plan. “The akuma will no doubt make his way over here once he finds out. We should hide XY, and set a trap for the akuma. This place should be too small to fit a dragon. And if not...Ladybug can wrangle it. If you can wrap up its jaw you might be able to control it. Like how people ride horses. The obvious choice for the location of the butterfly is the guitar.” Ladybug and Chat Noir nodded, before making their way to the recording studio.

Bursting through the doors, Queen Bee quickly took control of the confusion. “Get XY to a secure location inside the building. We’re setting a trap for the akuma,” Queen Bee explained to the people inside. They quickly responded, dragging XY away. Then, the Hive lay in wait.

The doors to the recording studio flew open, sticking into the walls as the akuma burst into the room. “Bring me XY!” he yelled. “I’m going to show him real music, then remove him from his spot as number 1. Permanently!” He moved to the center of the room, looking around, face contorted in rage. Queen Bee signaled to her teammates.

Chat Noir silently pounced on the akuma from his spot on the lights at the same time Ladybug’s yoyo shot out. The akuma reacted quickly to the sound of the yoyo, quicker than four day akumas, but the weight landing on his shoulders caused him to stumble slightly, allowing the yoyo to wrap around the neck of the guitar. Ladybug yanked on the string, resulting in the guitar flying out of the akuma’s hands. The guitar was snapped in half across Ladybug’s knee, and the yoyo shot out to capture the cracked butterfly. With the butterfly purified, Chat jumped to the ground, the akuma dissolved back into Jagged. “W-where am I? Why am I not at the hotel?” Jagged asked.

“You were akumatized, Jagged,” Chat Noir explained, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Do you think you can explain what caused it?” Jagged looked thoughtful for a moment, frowning.

“Yeah. I was angry at that kid, XY. He was doing an interview, mocking my music and my style. And the kid doesn’t even make his music himself! A computer does it. Where does he find the gall to act like he’s better than me?” Jagged questioned, frustration clear in his voice.

Chat was about to reply, but they were interrupted by a blood-curdling screech coming from the front of the building. Queen Bee raced to the lobby, followed by her team, Jagged in Chat’s arms. There they found the receptionist standing on the counter, eyes wide with terror, pointing at a crocodile. Pointing at...Fang. “Fang!” Jagged called. The crocodile turned to him, making his way over. “How did you get here?” Queen Bee thought for a second, realizing something about the akuma.

“Oh, wow. Fang got turned into a dragon when Jagged was akumatized,” she muttered. Jagged looked at her in surprise.

“I had a dragon? That’s totally rockin’!” Jagged exclaimed. Chat chuckled, then set Jagged down, turning to Queen Bee.

“My queen, it’s time we do the cure,” he mentioned. Queen Bee nodded, so her teammates stepped closer, putting their hands on her shoulder. Calling out ‘Miraculous Cure,’ a cascade of yellow, red, and black magic flowed over the city. As it faded, the trio looked at Jagged.

“I’d recommend you call for a car. I’m not sure we could get Fang back to the hotel fast enough to keep him safe, Jagged,” Queen Bee stated. That, and she didn’t want to try carrying a half tonne lizard that had just tried biting her in half. Jagged nodded, pulling out his phone and dialing Penny. With that out of the way, Queen Bee turned to her team. “Good job today, you two. Ladybug, release the butterfly. Chat, catch it. I want to see how much damage there is.” Ladybug nodded, opening up her yoyo. The butterfly climbed out, before being picked up in Chat’s claws. Examining the damage, it was about the same as the amount Princess Fragrance had.

“I feel a little bad for Rose. Same amount of chaotic energy, and yet the akumas were so different. Rose got perfume and a terrible color scheme, Jagged got a fucking dragon and a color scheme that he pulls off all the time. Although the hair was too light,” Ladybug commented. Chat and Queen Bee laughed at the comment.

“It’s so unfair. On the bright side, at least Hawkmoth might be getting better at designing his akumas,” Queen Bee mentioned. “Sadly, as much as I want to roast Hawkmoth, we should be going. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Her teammates said their goodbyes, so Queen Bee flew off to the hotel.

* * *

The next Thursday, both Penny and Jagged joined Chloé on her trip to Narcissus. After the initial surprise from Iris at Jagged Stone being in her parlor, they were able to discuss what Penny was going to get. Jean and Chloé were left sitting in the back lounge, while Penny got her piercings done. Soon enough, Iris walked into the lounge, followed by Penny and Jagged. Penny was rocking both a nostril and a third lobe piercing. She sat down with Jagged on the loveseat, while Iris layed down on Jean on the couch, leaving Chloé alone in her chair. The conversation started, eventually turning to Jagged’s music. Chloé remembered a question she’d forgotten to ask earlier.

“So what happened with Bob Roth?” Chloé asked. “Your new album is going to be with a new company, isn’t it.”

“It sure is, girl. I couldn’t stand Bob anymore. He wanted me to change my style, become something I’m not. Since I didn’t have any type of relations with someone as toxic as him, I dropped him as my producer. My new one is much better, and understands me,” Jagged answered.

“Well, I’m glad you did, Jagged,” Iris added. “You shouldn’t keep toxic relationships.” Iris’ comment had Chloé thinking about her relationships. She would have to research more about it later.

* * *

That night, Chloé was laying down in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was thinking about what she’d found online, and...it didn’t look all that good. “Pollen?” she called quietly. She didn’t want to disturb her kwami if she was sleeping.

“Yes, my queen?” Pollen replied softly.

“Do...do you think that the relationship I have with my mother is toxic? Everyone on the internet would probably agree, but...it’s the internet,” Chloé murmured. She heard the pillow next to her shift, before feeling Pollen sit on her chest. She tilted her head, looking at Pollen.

“I do think that it’s a pretty toxic relationship, my queen. Your mother has been a bad influence on you, and caused you a lot of stress and pain. Just compare who you are right now to who you were in September. You’ve made leaps and bounds in improving since you left behind part of your mother’s mentality,” Pollen commented. She was right.

“But what am I supposed to do? Iris said to get rid of toxic relationships, but she’s my mother. And...it’s been years since we’ve last seen each other. Maybe she’ll be less of a bad influence now,” Chloé said.

“What do you want to do, my queen? That’s what it really comes down to. How do you want to handle the situation?” Pollen questioned. Chloé thought for a while, thinking of what she would do.

“I...I’m going to give her a chance. Maybe the person my mother is now isn’t the person she was in the past. So...I’m going to give her one chance,” Chloé decided. “And if she is still someone who is toxic then...I’m going to drop the relationship.” She watched Pollen float off of her chest, floating up to her face.

“I’m glad you reached a decision, my queen,” Pollen said as she hugged Chloé’s cheek. Chloé brought her hands up to cup the kwami, giving her a small hug.

“Thank you, Pollen, for being here for me,” Chloé murmured. When they let go, Pollen floated back to her chest, laying there instead of her usual pillow. A more constant reminder that she was there. “Goodnight, Pollen.”

“Sleep well, my queen,” Pollen responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many time skips, ugh. Canon doesn't really have much happening around winter time, though, so I kind of had to.
> 
> Iris is just an OC that was made for this AU. And possibly any other AUs I make in the future where someone gets piercings. She's mostly just important for this AU, though. Mama OC.
> 
> Miraculous side effects are always fun. I changed the effects of the bee miraculous, though. I see a lot of people having the bee's effect be buzzing, especially in anger. But that's not really something that happens. Bees don't buzz because they're angry or agitated. They buzz because they are beating their wings at around 200 beats per second, some species even more. What honeybees DO do is use movement to communicate. As well as use pheromones, but I ain't writing that. And I can't exactly have Chloé doing long, elaborate dances to convey her feelings. So instead, Chloé wiggles.
> 
> I spent more time than I realistically needed planning out what order Chloé gets her piercings, and when. Right now she has two lobe piercings on both ears. Next chapter she'll have two more piercings.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. It was definitely fun to write. :)


	10. Eris

When Valentine's day rolled around, Chloé expected it to be like every other year. As in, no one would try asking her out. Thinking over it, it made sense that no one had asked her out before. She...she’d been a real jerk. Always putting others down, always trying to make herself look better, even at the cost of others' happiness. If she had started a relationship then, it probably would have been pretty toxic.

This Valentine’s day, however, was different. Instead of being at school, seeing all the happy couples exchanging gifts, Chloé was at home sitting on the couch while waiting for lunch time to roll around. A perk of today being a Saturday.

The downside of Valentine’s day was that there was the possibility of lots of negative emotions, especially if people were rejected. And with Hawkmoth’s inability to maintain a pattern nowadays, it was likely that an akuma would happen. Because of this, Chloé made sure that Pollen had more than enough food while she watched television. It was a lot of honey. Like always.

Halfway through her movie, Chloé’s phone buzzed. She looked at it, seeing a message from Chat to the group chat.

**Dio:** are you guys free right now? i wanted to talk about something

**Zeppeli:** i wanted to talk about something as well, so i’m free. what about you, Queenie?

Chloé checked the time. Depending on how long it took, she could pass with a late lunch.

**Sharpay:** i don’t have anything to do right now. our usual spot at the library?

**Dio:** that works for me. i’ll be there asap.

**Sharpay:** I’m on my way.

Chloé looked at Pollen. “Chat and Ladybug wanted to talk about something. You have enough energy?” she asked. Pollen nodded, so Chloé called for her transformation, flying out over the city of Paris toward the library.

* * *

When Queen Bee walked into the Hive’s usual conference room, she found Chat and Ladybug already there, sitting at the table. She sat down across from them, looking between them. “So...what is it you wanted to talk about?” she asked. Ladybug and Chat looked at each other, before Ladybug motioned for Chat to start.

Chat took a deep breath, before launching into what he wanted to say. “Okay, so, I’ve been thinking a lot, about you two. And...I really like the both of you. I would really like to try dating you two,” Chat confessed. There was a moment of silence where he looked between Queen Bee and Ladybug, before the latter spoke up as well.

“I like the both of you as well. But...I don’t think dating would be a good idea right now. I...I’ve learned that communication is really important when it comes to relationships, and probably more so for polyamorous ones. And since we don’t know each other’s secret identities, then we aren’t going to be able to communicate properly,” Ladybug explained. “We’d have to filter everything we say, keeping secrets from each other, and...a relationship just wouldn’t work unless we reveal our identities.”

“Then we just need to tell each other who we are, don’t we?” Chat asked. “I don’t mind revealing my identity to you two.”

“I wouldn’t mind revealing myself either,” Ladybug commented, looking at Queen Bee. “What about you, Queenie?”

Queen Bee was frozen. It...it was a lot to take in all in one moment. Both of her teammates liked her, wanted to date her. Did she like them back? And Ladybug was right, they’d need to reveal their identities if they were going to make a relationship work. She sat there in the silence, and the pressure of answering then was getting to her. “I...I need more time to think about this,” she decided, standing up. “S-sorry, but I just need some time to consider my feelings.” She then left the room. Her teammates called out to her, but she didn’t stop. Instead, she flew back over the city, making her way to the hotel. The rapier at her side buzzed a few times, but had stopped by the time she made it to the hotel.

Back inside her room, Queen Bee dropped her transformation, flopping down onto her bed. “Are you alright, my queen?” Pollen asked from next to her. Chloé shook her head, flipping onto her side to look at Pollen.

“I...I don’t know, Pollen. I don’t know if I’m interested in them romantically. And Ladybug was right, we’d have to reveal our identities if we wanted a relationship to really work. I...I don’t know if they’d still like me if they knew who I am, Pollen. I bullied Marinette for years. What if Chat is another one of my victims? What if he isn’t willing to see that I’ve changed?” Chloé asked. She saw Pollen float up to her, frowning. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words were cut off by a ringing from Chloé’s phone.

Chloé pulled out the phone, ignoring the messages she’d received from her teammates in lieu of the akuma alert that had just been sent out. Someone was flying around the Seine, shooting arrows at any couples that braved the cold. Chloé sighed. She hadn’t had enough time. “You still good on energy, Pollen?” she asked. As soon as Pollen nodded, Chloé called for her transformation again, leaving the hotel to fly towards the river.

* * *

When she was close enough, she saw the akuma gliding over the Seine, flapping occasionally. It was screaming about how if it couldn’t have love, no one could. It shot another arrow at a couple, the arrow disappearing in a puff of smoke as it hit one of them. The man who got shot ripped his arm away from his partner, yelling rude comments, before storming off. The akuma nocked another arrow, looking around for more people.

Queen Bee was distracted from the scene by the sound of a whirr and a clack. She looked behind herself, seeing Ladybug and Chat Noir plop down on the rooftop next to her. “Looks like someone couldn’t handle rejection,” Chat murmured. Queen Bee turned her head away, feeling guilty about running away.

“We can figure out what happened to them later. Right now we need to take it down. Since it’s flying, I will distract it over the Seine. Chat and Ladybug, you two head to the ground. Stay out of sight and anchor yourself. When it’s distracted, Ladybug, tie up the wings and pull it down. Chat, get the bow,” Queen Bee ordered. 

When her Hive nodded and hopped off the roof, Queen Bee took flight. The akuma, who was looking around, saw her quickly. It grinned wildly, and a purple mask covered his face. It quickly disappeared, as the akuma lifted its bow towards her, loosing the arrow that was nocked. Queen Bee dove underneath, narrowly dodging the arrow. The akuma growled, reaching for another from its quiver.

“Come on, just let the hate consume you!” the akuma yelled as it nocked the arrow. Queen Bee quirked an eyebrow.

“No thanks, Palpatine,” she quipped, flying underneath the arrow that was shot at her. The akuma sneered at her. Behind it she could see Ladybug, preparing to throw her yoyo.

“My name is Eris!” the akuma yelled. “I will spread hate to everyone! Including y-” It cut itself off at the sound of a whirr. It turned its neck swiftly dodging to the side. Not fast enough, though, as the yoyo latched onto one the wings on the akuma’s back. Ladybug pulled hard. There was a loud pop as the wing snapped closed.

The akuma shrieked in rage as it started to fall, its wings unable to keep it steady in the air. Chat reacted quickly, leaping at it as it plummeted. Ladybug retracted her yoyo as the two fell to keep Chat from getting tangled up as well. They landed on the ground, wrestling to get on top. Chat managed to grab the bow, pulling on it to take it from the akuma.

Instead of fighting for the bow like they all expected, the akuma sneered. It let go, reaching behind to grab an arrow from the quiver. “Watch out!” Queen Bee yelled. Chat moved to leap off the akuma, tossing the bow towards Queen Bee in the process. He was too late though, as an arrow was stabbed into his chest, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Queen Bee saw Chat freeze as she ran to destroy the bow. She stomped on it, smashing it in half. No butterfly flew out. She’d been wrong about the location. 

Looking at the akuma, she saw it start to stand, being helped up by Chat. The akuma pointed at Queen Bee, saying something too quiet for her to hear.

Chat turned to her. He was now wearing pitch black lipstick. His eyes constricted to pin pricks as he saw her, and a wicked grin crossed his face. Glancing at the akuma, Queen Bee watched as it pulled two arrows out of the quiver, holding them like knives. Two more arrows replaced them. “Ladybug! The quiver!” Queen Bee yelled to her teammate. Chat hissed, before pulling out his baton and charging her.

“Always dishing out orders, my queen. I think it’s time you be dethroned!” Chat sneered. Queen Bee dodged his charge, moving to the side and ducking underneath the baton that lashed out at her.

“Chat, you don’t have to do this,” Queen Bee, fear bleeding into her voice. She’d never had to fight her teammates before. Chat whipped around, baring his teeth.

“You’re right. I don’t have to. I  **want to** ,” Chat replied, bringing his baton in front of him and charging again. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of Ladybug and Eris fighting. She needed to find a way to help. Thinking quickly, she dove underneath Chat, grabbing onto his tail. She just needed time to destroy the quiver.

Spinning around, she wrenched Chat off of his feet. She picked the speed of her spin, before hammer throwing him away from where Eris and Ladybug were fighting. As soon as she let go, she launched herself towards the two, pulling her rapier.

The sound of her wings warned the akuma of her presence, as it prepared to leap away from Ladybug. It wasn’t fast enough though, as Ladybug’s yoyo shot out, wrapping around the Eris’ waist, keeping it from getting away. It tried to stab at Queen Bee, but she had the longer reach, her rapier cutting through the quiver. A butterfly popped out of the quiver, trying to fly away as Queen Bee flew over the head of the once akuma, which dissolved into a woman. A yoyo whipped out to catch the butterfly.

Queen Bee landed next to Ladybug, looking in the direction of where she had tossed Chat. There, she saw him racing towards her. His lips were still black. “Shit,” she murmured, preparing herself for his onslaught. “Stop this Chat, I don’t want to fight you!” 

“Stop bossing me around, you witch! I hate you!” he screamed as he lunged at her. She flinched at the insult, events from the first days of school flashing in her mind. Of what she had discussed with Pollen. It gave Chat the time to tackle her, knocking her off of her feet and slamming her into the ground. She was luckily saved by Ladybug, who tossed her yoyo out to wrap around Chat. He was pulled off of her, struggling against the strings. “Let me go! Hate will conquer all!”

“That’s wrong,” Ladybug muttered.

“What are you thinking, Ladybug?” Queen Bee asked, shakily standing up. She kept herself from trembling, trying her best to ignore the curses Chat was spitting out.

“Love is said to conquer all in a lot of fairy tales. I’m thinking...a true love’s kiss, maybe?” Ladybug replied.

Queen Bee pursed her lips. “I...do you really think it’ll work? He...he just said he hated us.”

“That wasn’t him, it was the akuma’s power,” Ladybug said, approaching the wrapped up hero. “I’m sorry, Chat,” Ladybug whispered as she picked him up and pressed her lips to his. Chat continued to struggle for a few seconds, before what little of his lips Queen Bee could see returned to their natural color. Ladybug pulled away, retracting her yoyo from around him. She stepped back, looking at the ground.

“W-what happened?” Chat asked, looking between the two. Queen Bee stepped forward, patting Ladybug on the shoulder and gesturing to the woman that was just deakumatized. Ladybug nodded, approaching her.

“I was wrong about where the butterfly was. And...the akuma got you. Ladybug had to kiss you, and...I think she feels guilty about it for some reason,” Queen Bee stated as Ladybug left.

“O-oh. I...I didn’t do anything, did I?” Queen Bee looked away, pursing her lips.

“You...you didn’t do anything permanent. Just said some things, and attacked us. It wasn’t your fault though,” she murmured. When she looked at him, there was a horrified expression on his face.

“I’m so sorry, my queen. Whatever I may have said, I didn’t mean it,” Chat said. “I...can I hug you?” Queen Bee nodded, so he stepped forward, arms wrapping around her. There was still something familiar about them to Queen Bee, so soothing.

Chat pulled away at the sound of approaching footsteps. The two looked towards Ladybug, who had finished talking to the victim. She put her hand on Queen Bee’s shoulder. Chat followed suit, and Queen Bee caught on. “Ready?” Queen Bee asked. When the two nodded, they yelled out for the cure. The usual wave of magic flew across the city, returning it to normal. Her Hive took their hands off of her shoulder, stepping around to be able to look at each other. 

“Ladybug, the butterfly is still in your yoyo. You should release it so that we can see how many days Hawkmoth used,” Queen Bee mentioned. Ladybug nodded, pulling her yoyo out to release the butterfly. From the cracks, it was seven days of energy. Queen Bee could almost imagine Hawkmoth whining about his constant defeat. “So, what happened to the victim?”

“Something that I don’t feel comfortable telling everyone, sorry. I did recommend that she see a therapist though,” Ladybug answered. She then turned to Queen Bee, looking guilty. “I’m sorry if you felt pressured earlier. It absolutely wasn’t my intention to make you feel as if we needed an answer right then and there. You  **don’t** have to answer us right now, Queenie. You can tell us on your own time.”

“I’m sorry about that too,” Chat commented. “I shouldn’t have sprung all that on you at one time.” Queen Bee pursed her lips, looking between the two. She could see how much they cared for Queen Bee. But would they care if they knew who she was? She needed to think, to talk to Pollen

“I...I’ll tell you as soon as I can. I’m sorry about worrying you two by running off like that. But...I do still need some time,” she said. “Right now, though, I think it’s time we go. Have a good lunch, you two.” She then took off, flying back to the hotel.

* * *

Chloé sat down on her bed as soon as she dropped her transformation, bringing her legs up to her chest, thinking about everything that had just happened. Pollen floated in front of her, concern on her face. “What are you thinking about, my queen?” she asked.

“The same things I was before. Chat said he liked us, and yet it was so easy to turn him against us, for those feelings to change. Maybe when he knows who I am it’ll happen again. He might hate me. Marinette might as well once she knows I deceived her, lying about how I knew,” Chloé admitted.

“My queen, Chat’s change was because of an akuma. Like Ladybug said, it wasn’t actually how he felt, it was all because of the akuma. And I doubt they’d hate you,” Pollen said. “They’ve shown that they care about both sides of you, my queen. Remember the day of Princess Fragrance? They stuck around to help you destress.” Chloé thought back to that day, and other days before that. They’d helped her multiple times, both inside and outside the suit. “Do you think they’d do that if they hated you, my queen?”

Chloé shook her head. “Do you still think they’d want to date me if I revealed who I was, though? Caring for someone and wanting to be romantically involved with them are two different things,” Chloé mentioned.

“I don’t know, my queen. But neither will you if you don’t see for yourself. Do you want to try dating them?” Pollen asked. Chloé thought over the question. She always enjoyed her time with her Hive. She cared for them, wanted to protect them. And...she wanted to spend more time with them.

“I think I do, Pollen. I want to be with them,” Chloé answered.

"Then you should tell them, my queen."

"I will. But...I think I'll wait till tomorrow. I want to tell them in person, and it will give me a little more time to think," Chloé said as she pulled out her phone.

**Sharpay:** I think I have my answer, but I want to wait till tomorrow, just in case.

**Dio:** so we'll be meeting at our usual place?

**Sharpay:** Same place as always.

With her teammates notified, Chloé got off of her bed. She had food to order, and a movie to finish watching.

* * *

Queen Bee walked into the conference room to find her teammates waiting for her at the table. Before she joined them, she made sure that the door was locked, and that no one would be able to see them once they revealed themselves. When she did, she sat herself down, preparing herself to speak.

“Okay. So, I did some thinking myself, and I like the both of you as well,” Queen Bee confessed. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir smiled broadly at her. She hoped that they’d continue to smile when they revealed themselves. “I want to try dating the two of you.”

“So, does that mean we’re going to have a reveal?” Chat asked.

“As Ladybug said, if we want a relationship to work we need to know each other’s identities. Which means that, yes, we should have a reveal if we want to try dating. Is that alright with the two of you?” Queen Bee questioned. They both nodded. “Okay. I think we should do it at the same time.” Queen Bee closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Pollen-” “Plagg-” “Tikki-”

“Buzz off.” “Claws in.” “Spots off.”

Three bursts of light went off at the same time. Yellow, red, and black. Chloé kept her eyes shut, wiggling anxiously while waiting for her Hive to say something. “Chloé?” she heard both people ask. She nodded, before lifting up her head to look at where Chat had been sitting. In his spot was Adrien Agreste, smiling just as broadly at her as before. From the corner of her vision she saw Marinette, a smaller smile on her face. At least it was still a smile.

Now that she knew who was behind the mask of Chat Noir, it made sense why he was so familiar. But, knowing who was behind the mask saddened her. Adrien had only ever seen her as a friend. 

Some indication of her worry must of been on her face, as Adrien hopped out of his chair, moving around the table to pull Chloé into a hug. “I’m so glad it’s you,” he murmured. Chloé was stunned for a moment.

“Why? You’ve only ever seen me as a friend,” Chloé commented. Adrien pulled away so that he could look at her.

“Chloé, you’ve done so much for me. You’ve always been there for me. It’s because of you that I can go to school. Because of you I have more friends, I have more freedom. Chloé, I may have only seen you as a friend in the past, but I’d be happy to see you as more in the future,” Adrien remarked.

Chloé smiled warmly at him, before turning to Marinette. “Um, what are your thoughts on this, Marinette?” she asked.

“Honestly? Mostly that a lot of things make sense now. How ‘Chloé’ was able to figure out my identity, why Tikki kept disappearing whenever I was at the hotel, ‘Queen Bee’s’ friendliness towards ‘Chloé,’ why ‘Queen Bee’ never visited ‘Chloé’ with Chat and I,” Marinette said.

Adrien looked between the two. “Wait, you already knew about Marinette, Chloé?” Adrien asked. 

“Yeah. It was the day of Princess Fragrance. Tikki was sick, and Marinette ended up yeeting her. I picked her up, Marinette told me she was a doll,” Chloé explained.

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “You yeeted Tikki?” Adrien questioned with a smirk.

“I did not yeet Tikki, I tripped!” Marinette explained, blushing fiercely. Tikki started laughing at her excuse.

“Marinette, I went flying. Involuntarily. Just admit it, you yeeted me,” Tikki teased through her giggles.

Marinette groaned, hiding her face in her hands. “You’d think after 5 and a half months that my kwami would defend me against slander. But no, instead, she takes part in slandering me,” Marinette complained.

“It’s not slander if it’s true, Marinette,” Chloé mentioned playfully.

Marinette huffed at Chloé’s comment, dropping her arms to the table and resting her chin on a palm. “Wow, not even my girlfriend is defending me,” Marinette grumbled. Her words made Chloé freeze for a second, before she looked between the two with a smile.

“So...we’re doing this? We’re all going to date each other?” she asked.

“I’m definitely willing,” Adrien said, smiling at Chloé.

“I am too,” Marinette agreed. Chloé wiggled with excitement at their words.

“Well, then, how about we go to the hotel today, then? It’ll be a lot more comfortable, and we can order snacks,” she suggested. She noticed Plagg floating towards her, so she looked at him.

“Ooh, can I get camemb-” Plagg started.

“Absolutely not,” Chloé said coldly, narrowing her eyes at the kwami. “There are better smelling cheeses. Like cheddar. And Swiss. I will  **not** be having my family suite smell like camembert.” Her tone seemed to cow Plagg, as he floated back to Pollen and Tikki with a frown. When he sat down, she looked at her Hive. Her  **partners** .

“Let’s do it,” Marinette agreed. “It’ll probably be a lot warmer, too.” She then called for her transformation. Adrien and Chloé followed suit, before the trio slipped out of the library and crossed Paris to the hotel.

* * *

The Hive was sitting on the couch, Adrien acting as a heater in the middle of Marinette and Chloé as they watched a movie, when Chloé remembered something that they’d forgotten to discuss. She quickly paused the movie so that she could bring it up. “What are we going to tell everyone?” she asked, maneuvering so that she could see both her partners. “Are we even going to tell anyone? How would we explain it? It’s not like we can tell them that we bonded because of a shared crime fighting hobby that evolved into hanging out on weekends.”

Adrien and Marinette both seemed to think for a little while, Adrien voicing his thoughts first. “I don’t know if we should go public just yet. I mean, we can tell a few people we trust, but there are some crazy fans out there,” Adrien explained, shivering slightly at his last comment. “That, and I’m not sure where my father stands on polyamory. I don’t want him finding out and trying to separate us.” Chloé frowned at the mention of Gabriel.

“I think that’s a good idea. I...when Jagged and Penny joined me on a visit to Narcissus, Iris mentioned something about toxic relationships. I did more research and, honestly, Gabriel is pretty toxic,” Chloé commented. “And if you being in a relationship hurt his company in some way, he’d definitely try to split us up.”

“So we have to keep this a secret from the masses. Is it alright if I tell my parents, though?” Marinette asked. “I try not to keep too much from them. Besides the whole crime fighting routine. But that has to be kept a secret, for obvious reasons.”

“It should be fine to tell anyone that we know can keep a secret. I know that I was going to tell Nino, at least. I don’t want to keep this from my bro,” Adrien remarked. “So telling your parents would be fine.” Marinette hummed, satisfied by the answer. Chloé moved back to her original spot, snuggling back up to her boyfriend, before unpausing the movie.

* * *

Sadly, Marinette and Adrien had to leave soon after the movie finished up. They left the same way they came, giving Chloé a nice view of her partners leaping across the rooftops. When they left her view, Chloé turned to Pollen, who was floating up to her. “How was spending time with Plagg and Tikki?’ she asked. Pollen smiled warmly at her.

“It was fun, my queen. And it seemed you had fun too. Are you happy with your decision to reveal your identity?” Chloé smiled warmly, nodding.

“I am. Thank you for helping me come to that decision, Pollen,” Chloé responded. She started walking into the main room, feeling Pollen land on her collarbone. “You hungry? It’s about time for dinner.”

“I wouldn’t mind some food, my queen. Chasing Plagg and Tikki around to keep them from leaving the room took a lot of energy,” Pollen answered. Chloé laughed at the image, before calling up food. Jean soon arrived with their food, Pollen darting away to hide.

After he set the tray down on the kitchen island, he turned to Chloé. He had a smile on his face. “Did you have a good day today, Chloé? You seem happier,” Jean commented.

“I did, Jean. I...” Chloé paused for a moment, before deciding that she wanted Jean to know. “I’m dating, now. Adrien and Marinette both asked me out yesterday. We just started dating today.”

Jean’s smile widened. “I’m very happy for you, Chloé. I hope you’ll tell me more later. Right now, though, will there be anything else you need, tonight?” Jean asked.

“I don’t believe so, Jean. Have a good night,” Chloé responded with a smile.

“You have a good night as well, Chloé,” Jean requested before exiting the room. Pollen proceeded to dart back over as Chloé picked up the tray, moving to the tv with her kwami.

* * *

As Chloé slipped into bed, she heard her phone buzz on her nightstand. She quickly opened it up, maneuvering to the group chat.

**Dio:** WAIT

**Dio:** I JUST THOUGHT OF SOEMETHING

**Zeppeli:** soemething

**Sharpay:** soeomething

**Dio:** WHATEVER. I JUST FIGURED OUT WHY YOU DON’T LIKE MARIBUG.

**Zeppeli:** because marinette and ladybug are the same person?

**Dio:** YES

**Sharpay:** Oh, yeah. That makes sense.

**Zeppeli:** that is exactly the reason, Chaton

**Sharpay:** Wait, you also called yourself cute. You stroking your own ego?

**Zeppeli:** yes, but are you two going to deny it?

**Sharpay:** ...

**Dio:** no

**Sharpay:** No.

**Zeppeli:** ;P

**Sharpay:** Anyways, I’ve told Jean about us. I’ll probably tell Iris as well Thurdasy.

**Zeppeli:** thurdasy

**Dio:** thurdasy

**Sharpay:**

**Sharpay:** Dammit.

**Zeppeli:** okay, but who’s Iris?

**Sharpay:** The woman who does my piercings. She’s done all three pairs of lobes I have. I trust her.

**Zeppeli:** k. I told my parents, they want to talk to you both about it soon.

**Dio:** Nino also knows. he managed to take it fairly well.

**Sharpay:** Alright. Goodnight, you two.

**Dio:** night, my queen

**Zeppeli:** goodnight, Queenie 

As her partners said goodnight, Chloé plugged in her phone, before turning off the lamp and laying on her back. Pollen floated over, laying down on her chest. 

“Goodnight, Pollen,” Chloé murmured as she patted Pollen’s head.

“Sleep well, my queen,” Pollen responded.

Chloé fell asleep quickly, dreaming of her Hive, her partners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little longer because I kept getting distracted by stuff, sorry.
> 
> Eris is really just a rehash of Dark Cupid. Because Kim didn't get humiliated, due to not confessing to Chloé, it wouldn't make sense to have Kim be akumatized. Eris is the Greek goddess of strife and discord.
> 
> The original plan for this story was not to have them confess now. I felt that this fit, though, because they do spend a fair amount of time together. Meeting weekly since halfway through October, it'd been 17 times they'd hung out. Not including any other times that may have occurred that I didn't write.
> 
> I also wanted to have them reveal themselves willingly. Consent is a big deal, and I didn't want to take away that choice in how they were revealed, not like what happened in Princess Fragrance. So, having them CHOOSE to reveal their identities was important to me.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. :)


End file.
